For a Change
by Jyo-Chan
Summary: He had always led the normal teenager life. He had good friends, a good family, good grades and a good school. But when you suddenly add in an unknown factor, everything changes. For better or for worse. Axel x Roxas
1. Dream a Dream

He had always led the normal teenager life. He had good friends, a good family, good grades and a good school. But when you suddenly add in an unknown factor, everything changes. For better or for worse. Roxas x Axel.

I drank too much green tea and I'm hyper, so I typed this out and I don't give a damn about my other fics right now. BWAHAHHA!

* * *

A blond sat in front of his computer and sipped on a cup of warm tea. It was tasteless, considering that it was only Chinese tea that his father brought over for him. He set the tea down gingerly on a wooden place mat and poised his delicate fingers over the keyboard, taking a deep breath before exhaling and beginning his work.

His task was to write, or in this case, type out a two thousand word essay for English homework, their creative writing assignment. It sounded like a lot but he loved creative writing. It was one of the things he was exceptionally good at, so he thoroughly enjoyed it.

He typed out the letters which formed the title of 'The Heart'. It was about a boy who suffered from amnesia, forgetting his family, his friends, his whole identity. The emotions he feels when he tries to remember who he was, but fails. The confusion, the anxiety and the heartache he experiences.

The blond finished a page of his work and saved it. Proof-reading once, then twice, before saving it again. He reached for his drawer and pulled out a small bag of gummi bears. He often eats something when he's working on his computer, it helps to stimulate his mind and give him energy to continue on.

Just as he reached out to grab his tea-cup, his mother walked in with a basket full of his clean and folded laundry.

"Roxas! How many times do I have to tell you not to drink in front of your computer?" she berated, setting down the basket by his bedside and placed her hands on her hips.

"Mum, you know I wouldn't spill." The blond replied as he took a sip from his cup.

"I know, but you must set an example for your brother."

"You know he's older than me right?" he answered as he moved his head to look at his mother.

"Of course honey, but even so. You know how energetic he gets." She sighed, remembering how a certain brunet accidentally spilled coke over his laptop and it froze and crashed. "If he sees you doing it, he'll probably follow."

"Alright mum, I won't do it again." He drank the rest of his Chinese tea and his mother came over and took the now empty cup from him.

"That's my baby Roxas." She bent over and gave a small kiss on his head. "Do your best."

"I will mum." He spoke as he watched his mother walk out of his room and closed the door with a soft click. He turned his head back to the computer and reached out for another gummi bear. Chewing it thoughtfully before continuing his work.

There was a boy, who claimed to know him, who claimed to be his friend but did everything a friend wasn't suppose to do. It was irritating, annoying even. But it was extraordinary. He felt different around this so-called friend, as though he could almost remember who he was supposed to be. But every time he got close to finding out, it slipped away, out of reach, away from his hold.

Roxas reached for another gummi bear and chewed it slowly as he read through his work again, correcting his mistakes, checking his grammar before saving it. He ran his fingers through his messy yet styled hair and sighed as he stared out his window. The sun was slowly setting in the horizon, giving a relaxing feeling.

Today was only Friday, and even though his homework wasn't due for another week he was already half way done. Their teacher was far too lenient at certain times and far too harsh on other occasions, but he always met the deadline for assignments and homework.

He took out another gummi bear and chewed on it, glancing over at the digital clock which read 18:46. It's almost dinner time, so he decided to save his work again and let his computer go on stand-by. He switched off the screen and walked out of his room and into the opposite room that belonged to his brother.

He knocked on the door twice and opened the door without waiting for an answer. Coming in to find his brother lying on his bed reading a comic book called, 'The day I hated most.'

"Hey Sora." The blond greeted him as he shuffled his way across the messy room to an empty seat in front of the study table.

The brunet suddenly laughed while hitting the pillow enthusiastically. "Hey Roxas." He greeted and wiped a tear away from his blue eyes.

"I'm assuming you haven't started your homework yet?" Roxas asked as he gently nudged a soccer ball around with his foot.

"Of course not. There's still the whole weekend to go." Sora spoke as he continued to read his comic.

"That's what you say all the time, but you always ask for my help on Sunday nights." The blond huffed and stared at the brunet.

"I won't do it this time. I promise!" he smiled as he made a peace sign while sticking his tongue out.

"We'll see, we'll see." Roxas smirked.

"Aww come on. Don't you believe me?" Sora sat up and stared at his brother with a slight pout.

"Of course I do, we'll just see if you _really_ don't need my help this Sunday."

Sora huffed and folded his arms. "Oh you evil poo!"

Roxas laughed at his older brother, amused at the name calling. "You act like _you're_ the younger one."

Sora soon joined in the laughter and they almost didn't hear the shout coming from downstairs.

"What did mum just say?" the brunet asked as he got up from his bed and proceeded to trip over the articles of clothing strewn over his bedroom floor. "Oh boogers! I gotta clean up this room soon."

"That's what you said last time too." He laughed again as he walked over to the door and followed Sora out.

"What did you say mum?" the brunet shouted down the stairs, receiving a shout in reply.

"Dinner's ready! Come and get it boys!"

"Alright mum!" Roxas shouted back and climbed down the stairs, with Sora in tow.

"Hey Roxas. Do you mind if I borrow your computer to write out our English homework later?" Sora asked as he followed his younger brother into the dinner room across the living room.

"Sure, just don't go and drink anything when you're using it."

Sora scowled at his brother. "Do you _have_ to bring that up every time I ask if I could use your computer?"

"Yes brother." He smirked.

"Why?!" he pouted his lips at Roxas and received a laugh in reply.

"All the more fun to watch you pout dear brother."

"Oh you evil poopy."

As they sat down and joined their mother and father at the dinner table, they talked about their day at school. Occasionally laughing at each other for doing something stupid or another. It was then Roxas had another idea for another essay for creative writing.

* * *

"Thanks for dinner mum." Roxas spoke as he picked up his plate and gently placed it in the sink, ready to be washed.

"No problem, my little Roxas. Leave the dishes, I'll do it tonight. You just go on ahead and do your homework." His mother smiled at him as she turned back towards the other son. "Sora! Don't eat so fast."

"But this is so good!" Sora whined as he stuffed his mouth with more mashed potatoes.

"Eat slower dear."

"Ok, ok." Sora then started to eat a fraction a bit slower but still considered pretty fast.

Roxas laughed and walked towards the stairs. "Thanks mum."

"Don't eat so much junk food dear, I'll bring you up a healthy snack later ok?"

"Ok, thanks mum." The blond turned to walk up the stairs and proceeded inside him room. Closing his door with a click and then switching his computer back on from hibernation.

He opened a new document and quickly typed out the title, 'Lost at sea without you.' He stopped and thought for a moment of how to summarize the whole story without going into much detail. He didn't want to start a new project without finishing the previous one first. He nodded his head curtly and began typing again.

It was about two brothers, akin to each other. Drawn to the sea and the wide ocean. There was a sudden development of a struggle and one brother was separated from the other. They were both convinced that the other was either dead or killed, and both being afraid, they never ventured to seek out the truth. But in the end, after they both experienced much hardship, they found each other again and welcomed one another back with open arms.

Roxas quickly saved the document and closed it, not wanting to tempt himself from continuing the story without having first finished the other one. Just as he returned to his first project, Sora chose that moment to come into the room.

"Hey Roxas." The brunet came and sat down on the bed, reading a comic book that he took with him.

"Hey Sora. You need the computer now?" he asked as he began typing out again.

The boy was so close, _so_ close he could almost touch it. But he was always just _that_ much further away from it. And it frustrated the boy to no ends.

"Not yet, I can wait. I'll finish this book first."

"That's not a book. It's a comic." Roxas smiled as he continued typing.

The boy was starting to fall apart. Every time he got close, it just went one step further away. He grew stressful and he was about to throw his life away when his so-called friend came and stopped him. Like the time when he was so close to achieving something, it was gone the next.

"Oh well. Books and comics. What's the difference." It was a rhetorical question, but the blond replied regardless.

"A book doesn't have pictures in it."

"Some books do!"

"Kiddy books, but not _real_ books."

"Aw you evil poo! You take the fun out of everything!"

"You put in too much fun in everything." He laughed at his brother and saved his work, proof reading and checking his grammar when the both of them fell into a comfortable silence.

'Don't just throw your life away just because things aren't going the way you want them to.'

He typed out the dialogues of his fictional characters, occasionally pausing mid way and thinking thoughtfully before continuing.

'I don't remember anything! Do you know what it feels like? It's tearing my heart apart! Everyday my heart breaks because I don't remember!'

Roxas could feel himself growing angry for some reason. As though he was feeling the emotions of the character he created.

'Little by little, my heart is dying…Another piece of me is fading away…'

He could feel himself growing frustrated, he could feel himself go through the emotions that his fictional character was going through. The feeling of being so lost and empty inside. It was...heart wrenching.

'I feel so empty inside…'

"Roxas!"

The blonds' head suddenly jerked up towards the brunet. "Yeah, what's up Sora."

"I've been yelling out your name for like a minute now." The brunet finished reading his comic and dumped it on the bed.

"Sorry, I got carried away." The blond apologized and saved his work.

"You seriously scared me there." A worried look still visible on Sora's face.

"Sorry, you know how I am when I write. I get so into it, I just lose myself."

"Yeah well, usually you'd hear me after two times of me calling out your name."

The blond laughed and scratched his head. "You want the computer now?"

"Nah, you seem like you're close to finishing it."

"Almost, but not quite."

"Alright then. I'll just read my other comic." The brunet picked up his discarded comic and walked out of the room.

Roxas sighed and returned to stare at the computer screen. He scrolled back up to the first page and proof-read the entire story, occasionally correcting his grammar and silly mistakes and saving his work.

He checked his word count and it was already over two thousand words. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. He enjoyed writing it so much, he got too carried away, writing too much and it wasn't finished yet.

He knew the teacher liked to have hard working students, but the teacher said that if it looked more than the quota amount, the project wouldn't be accepted.

No matter how good it was.

Roxas was starting to panic. He didn't want to leave it as it is, and if he continued, it might reach over three thousand words.

He thought about it and weighed out his options. He could continue the essay and save it for future use, leave it and begin a new one, or stop where he is and hand it in.

Roxas considered the third option, and re-read the story to see if it had a good end or if it was too much of a cliff-hanger.

In the end, he concluded that it wouldn't be a good story if it was just left as it is, so he would have to continue it later, but for now he needed to think up of a new story.

He had already opened up a new document and then realized that he already had another story ready to be written out.

He smiled to himself as he closed the new document window and opened up his other creative writing essay.

Having his fingers poised and ready to type, his blue eyes moved over to the panel at the bottom of the screen listing out the various windows still opened. Momentarily he wondered if 'The Heart' would wait, a part of him was afraid that he would lose his muse and never finish the story, but another part of his wanted to start a new one.

'There's still a week to go. 'Lost at sea without you' can wait a few more days.' He thought to himself as he moved the mouse over to his first project and clicked on it. The blond was about to continue typing again when he heard a soft knock on the door. If it was Sora, the brunet would've come in without waiting. "Come in."

"Hello dear. How's your homework?" she came in holding onto a small plate of carrot and cucumber sticks for him.

"It's fine so far."

"That's good, that's good." She set down the snack for Roxas and gave a small peck on the blonds' head. "I'll go check on Sora."

"Alright. Thanks mum." He spoke as he reached out for a cucumber stick.

"No problem my little Roxy."

He bit into the cucumber stick and left it hanging in his mouth as he continued typing.

'The heart remembers, but the mind does not. That's why the body is confused because it doesn't know which one to listen to.'

'How can the body be confused when it's my heart that's hurting?'

He glanced over at the clock which blinked 20:32. He sighed and saved his work before typing out once again.

'Don't try so hard.'

'Why?'

'It'll come when you least expect it. Just wait for it.'

'But it's too hard. You can't expect me to just sit back and do nothing.'

'I don't expect you to do nothing. I expect you…to trust me.'

'To trust me…' his mind mulled over those words. He wasn't anticipating for that word to come up. His fingers just did most of the work, as though they were an independent part of the body and just typed out whatever it wanted without permission. Sometimes he didn't mind, but other times it scared him.

It was like playing the piano. After playing a certain piece over and over again, you'll find that you can just play it without thinking, play it off by memory.

He heard somebody come in and immediately assumed it was Sora.

"Hey Sora."

"Hey, about the computer…"

"Yeah?" he saved his work and proceeded to proof-read it once again.

"Mind if I use it next time? I mean, the assignment isn't due for another week, so I just thought I'd leave it till later or something." He spoke as he scratched his head.

"Sure, but it's better if you get it over and done with now."

"Yeah, I know. But nothing's coming to me."

"That's because you're not thinking about it."

"That's not true." He pouted and walked over to the study table and grabbed a carrot stick. "I _am_ thinking about it."

"What did you come up with?"

"Err…it's about…a guy…?" he stared up at the ceiling, knowing that Roxas could tell he was lying if he looked directly into his eyes.

"And?" he prodded his brother to continue, wondering if he was just making it up now or whether he actually put some thought into it or not.

"Well it was about a guy, who's…trying to look for…his friends."

"Go on." He was making a mental note of what Sora said, knowing the brunet would probably forget given the chance once he's off the hook.

"So…this guy, travels from…from one world to another searching for them."

"Sounds good. Keep on going." He motioned for the brunet to continue on.

"Aww, do I have to?" he slouched over and let his arms hang.

"Yes."

"Ah man…" he folded his arms, staring up at the ceiling before speaking again. "One of his friends turned towards the darkness. So, err…the guy had to fight the bad guys to get his friend back."

"Ok, what about the other friend?"

"Err, the other friend. Was kidnapped but err went into a slight coma?"

"Cool. When do you plan on writing this out?"

"Write what out?"

Roxas sighed and shook his head. "The story."

"Oh, the story…I forgot what I said."

The blond sighed again and turned his head to the brunet. "I'll type out the summary for you, but you gotta do the rest on your own."

"Yay! Thanks Roxas." He jumped up in victory. "You're my life saver." He gave his younger brother a hug from behind and stared at the screen as Roxas typed out his summary.

"No problem Sora. Just make sure you finish it on time. Sounds like a good story."

"Really? I was just making it up as I go."

"Ah ha!" he swiveled around from his chair and pointed accusingly at the brunet. "So you _didn't_ think about it till I asked you!"

Sora laughed nervously. "Well, you know me Roxas. I'm a procrastinator."

"As always." The blond rolled his eyes as he smiled but they eventually broke into laughter.

They both laughed at each other and continued about their comic-reading and essay-writing.

* * *

I plan on making another fiction named, you guessed it, 'The Heart' and there goes the summary part of it. Lol. Wish me luck that I actually do it though.

And there's actually another one too. Lol. And yeah, you get it.


	2. 3 cheeses

He had always led the normal teenager life. He had good friends, a good family, good grades and a good school. But when you suddenly add in an unknown factor, everything changes. For better or for worse. Roxas x Axel.

I just had scrambled eggs and they were Oh-So delicious. Hehe.

FantasyDreamLand13 – Yay! My first reviewer!! Thanks so much!! I hope I will continue to make you happy!

* * *

Roxas sighed as he sat back on his chair and stared at the computer screen. He had just finished his creative writing essay named 'The Heart' and he was very proud of it. He glanced over at the clock which read 23:19 and groaned. The time passed by too quickly for his liking.

He looked over at his vacant bed, Sora having retired after finishing his second comic at around twenty minutes to eleven. He saved his work and decided to leave his second project for tomorrow. Realizing he was a lot more tired than he was suppose to be, he switched off his computer and trudged his way towards the bathroom.

He walked to the basin and turned the tap on, waiting for the water to grow warm before cupping his hands together and gently rinsing his face, he let the droplets fall back into the sink before slowly raising his head to look in the mirror.

His blue eyes, normally concentrated and determined looked back tiredly. He sighed and then reached for his blue and yellow toothbrush with one hand while the other grabbed the toothpaste. He gently squeezed out some blue and white toothpaste onto his toothbrush and brought it up to his mouth.

His movements was slow, his body now feeling the toll of being over-worked, his mind almost going into automatic mode as he brushed his teeth, willing himself to stay awake a little bit longer. Just enough to finish his daily routines before tucking in for the night.

He spat out the bubbly paste and rinsed out his mouth, gargling with mouth wash and then spitting that out as well. He patted his face dry then returned to his room, dragging his feet behind him along the way.

The blond leisurely changed out of his clothes into his blue pajamas, glancing at his clock once again before finally retiring for the night, his blue eyes drooping in and out of consciousness.

* * *

'_I feel like…I'm falling into the darkness…_

_I feel so numb and tired…_

_I don't understand why…'_

_Falling head first into the deep unknown, his eyelids were heavy and he tried to keep them open, but they kept on slipping shut. His vision fading in and out continuously._

"_Help me." He heard a voice call out. The voice was filled with despair, hope, confusion._

'_Who are you…?' Roxas' eyes slowly opened up, wanting to see the owner of the voice but was met with nothing but the darkness._

"_Please help me. I need you…"_

'_But I can't even see you.'_

"_Nobody ever sees me…I'm not meant to exist…"_

'_Don't say that.' Roxas' eyes felt heavy once again and they threaten to close, but he willed for them to stay open long enough to see who the owner of the voice was._

"_Will you be the light that will guide me from this darkness?" the voice asked, sounding hopeful, sounding sad._

'_Only if you let me see who you are.'_

_He continued to plunge down into the darkness, finally surrendering to the tiredness he felt. He felt that he sounded unfair after realizing that the voice didn't reply his prerequisites._

'_It's ok, even if I can't see you, I'll help you regardless. It's a promise.' He smiled to himself despite the surreal situation, but he felt contented._

"_Thank you…"

* * *

_

Blue eyes, blurry from sleep, opened to the sound of the horrible tone that belonged to his alarm clock. The blond groaned and slammed his hand over the button of the clock, promptly shutting it up. He sat up on his bed and thought back to his dream, recollecting the events that happened.

'It felt so real.' He looked down at his hands. 'Like I was seriously falling from the sky.' He took a deep breath and looked up. 'But why did I feel so relaxed about it?' he asked himself, wondering idly before concluding that it was only a dream and shoved his blanket off and walked over to his door. Once he turned the door knob, he was greeted with a disgruntled looking brunet.

A grunt then a mumbled acknowledgement of, "Morning." came from the brunet who yawned and scratched his head.

"Good morning." Roxas greeted his brother and moved down the hallway into the bathroom. They both entered and began their daily morning rituals of brushing their teeth and washing their faces.

Once they were somewhat refreshed, the left the bathroom and back into their rooms to get ready for their weekly Saturday shopping with their mother. Sora grumbled about having to wake up so early on a weekend, despite that it was already 9.30am and not so early, before disappearing into the semi-darkness of his room.

Roxas retreated back into his room as well, opening the curtains and wincing at the sudden brightness before moving over to his closet and looking at his clothes before settling on blue faded jeans with a black t-shirt and a white button up shirt. He glided over to his desk and picked up his favorite checkered wristband and his two black and white finger ring-bands. After he put them on, he grabbed his mp3 player and stuffed it into his pocket, picked up his mobile and wallet and stuffed in into his other pocket. He glanced up at the mirror and examined his hair, it wasn't too messy but it wasn't styled enough to his liking, so he opened up a tub of hair gel and started to shape his hair to the right fashion. Once he was done, he walked over to his cupboard and picked out a random pair of socks and left the room, meeting up with a much brighter looking Sora.

"Good morning!" the brunet smiled at him happily and skipped down the hallway and walked down the stairs with a spring in his step. Roxas couldn't help but smile at his brother.

As soon as they entered the living room area, they could smell the wonderful aroma coming from the kitchen.

"Good morning mum." The blond came into the kitchen and opened the fridge looking for orange juice. After finding none, he grumbled and noted to buy some more.

"Morning mum! What's for breakfast?" Sora bounded happily up to the table and sat himself on his usual spot.

"Good morning my two little sun-shines. On the menu today, we have waffles with strawberries and maple syrup." Their mother greeted as she opened up the waffle maker and took out the piping hot waffles and scooped more batter onto it.

"Yummy!" Sora yelled out happily, shooting his arms out in excitement, just barely missing Roxas' head as he walked passed his brother.

"Woah, watch it Sora." He recoiled back slightly to avoid a blow to the head.

"Sorry." Sora smiled ruefully and scratched his cheek. A habit he does when he's apologizing. Roxas smiled back at his brother and took his seat next to him.

Their mother brought over two plates with a small pile of fresh home-made waffles with a few strawberries on the side with a dollop of butter on top along with good squirt of maple syrup on top.

Sora practically drooled as the plate was set in front of him. "Looks great mum!" Sora exclaimed happily as he pick up his fork and knife and dug right into it. Stuffing a big chunk of waffles into his mouth and giving a sigh of contentment. "So good…"

Their mother laughed as she walked back to make another batch of waffles. "Sometimes I wonder who you love more, dear. Waffles or your own mother."

"Of course I love you more mum, you're the one who makes the waffles." Sora smiled happily at his mother before licking the corners of his mouth for the leftover syrup.

Roxas smiled at the two of them, they gave the image of a perfect family, except for the fact that someone was missing. "Hey mum, where's dad?" he asked as he sliced at the corner of his waffles, dabbing them with a little bit of syrup before bringing it up to his mouth.

"Your father's gone off to work, dear. He had to finish off what he couldn't the day before." She spoke as she took out the cooked waffles and poured in more batter.

"Ok." He spoke after swallowing his mouthful. "Hey mum?"

"Yes Roxas."

"We're out of orange juice."

* * *

Roxas hummed a tune as he walked down one of the aisles of the shopping mall. To the left, there were boxes and boxes of cereal, and to the right, there were packets and bags of biscuits and cookies. In the next aisle, he could hear Sora and their mother talking.

"Oh, oh! Mum, can we buy this?"

"Depends on whether you're going to eat it or not."

"Of course I'm gonna eat it."

"Last time you asked for something, you didn't bother to look at it until I reminded you."

"But I ate it eventually."

"Very grudgingly I might add."

Roxas heard Sora grumble and a shuffle of boxes placed back on the shelf before a small chuckle from their mother. He shook his head at his brother before continuing down the aisle. He walked to the next aisle and eventually reached the juice section. He looked at the prices, taking note of it before moving on to the next item. After a few moments, he picked out a carton that had the best value for a good and fair price. Holding the orange juice in his hand, he turned the other direction in search of his mother and brother, who weren't very hard to find since Sora was a walking, talking beacon.

As he turned the corner and walked passed an aisle, something caught the attention of his eye. He turned and saw what was surely something extremely unique in its own sense. There was a boy, with flamboyant red hair, dressed in black, listening to music from his mp3 and holding onto a DVD. Roxas strained his eyes to see the title of the object that the boy held and saw the words 'Broken Arrow'.

Roxas 'hmm'ed' to himself before continuing his quest of finding his mother and brother and spotting them already queuing up at the check-outs.

"Hey mum. I got the orange juice." He held out the said object and placed it in the trolley.

"Thank you, dear." She smiled as she looked in her bag for her purse.

Roxas stared at the contents of the trolley and noticed that there were three other objects that weren't on their shopping list. Well, not his shopping list anyways. He looked accusingly at Sora who stuck out his tongue.

"Are you actually going to eat this?" Roxas asked as he picked up a box of muesli.

"Yes, of course! It's got chocolate on it! Anything with chocolate is bound to be good."

"Says you." He laughed and returned the box in the trolley and picked up a box of frozen macaroni and triple cheeses.

"It's got three types of cheese on it, enough said."

Roxas sighed with a smile and moved the trolley forward after a customer paid and left with their groceries.

* * *

Read and review? Lol. Pretty please! 


	3. Interferences

He had always led the normal teenager life. He had good friends, a good family, good grades and a good school. But when you suddenly add in an unknown factor, everything changes. For better or for worse. Roxas x Axel.

I'm listening to a nice song…It's awesome.

Lusikka – Yay! I'm happy you find this story interesting. Lol. Yes, Sora must be the bouncy type will Roxas is the sensible type. Muahahaha.

Crazydrawinggirl – I'm glad you found this funny. I hope it will continue to be that way. Lol.

* * *

"A pebble in the water makes a ripple effect,  
Every action in this world will bear a consequence,  
If you wade around forever you will surely drown,  
I see what's going down." A voice sang quietly. Roxas' ears perked up and he started to look around the car park for the source. The voice was progressively growing closer to Roxas and his eyes searched for the singer.

"I see the way you go and say your right again,  
Say your right again,  
Heed my lecture." The blond turned to the left and spotted the red head he saw in the aisle just earlier, the boy was now humming the tune rather than singing it, his eyes lowered to the ground, head nodding to the tune, hands stuffed in his pockets. He, in Roxas' opinion, was interesting to say the least.

And as if the boy knew that Roxas was staring, he looked up and then suddenly green eyes met blue. He stopped walking and stared back at Roxas, slightly annoyed, but not enough to explode just yet.

"See something you like?" he asked with a hint of bother in his voice.

"Oh, er, sorry. I was just listening to the song you were singing." Roxas looked at the ground as he apologized. He hadn't meant to offend.

"Face down."

"What?" Roxas looked back up to the red head in confusion.

"It's the name of the song. Face down by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Got it memorized?" The red head clicked his tongue as he examined the blond boy a few feet from him.

"Oh, cool. Thanks." Roxas smiled and took note of the song. 'I'll download it later.' He thought to himself as he watched the boy in front of him shrug.

"Sure, kid." He started walking off again, past Roxas. "See ya around." He gave a wave without looking back to the blond.

"See ya." Roxas waved back weakly despite that the red head wouldn't hear or see it, considering that his back was turned to him and he was listening to his music. 'His voice is quite familiar…'

"Roxas, dear. What are you waiting for?" his head turned towards his mother and he ran off to the car.

"Sorry mum, I thought I saw somebody I knew." He reasoned as he helped with the groceries into the trunk.

* * *

After putting all the groceries away, Roxas sighed as he entered his room. He walked over to his desk and switched on his computer. After taking his socks off, he sat himself down and waited for the computer to finish its routine start up. He closed his eyes and leaned back on his swivel chair, still keeping them closed after hearing the familiar tune of the computer.

He slowly brought himself up, sighing as he did so before moving his hand over to the mouse, gliding it on the mouse pad and double clicking on his folder of essays and assignments. He opened up the document named 'Lost as sea without you.' and began to read the summary that he wrote out last night.

Roxas closed his eyes for a moment, trying to think of a good way to start the story. He had his fingers poised over the keyboard, ready to start when Sora came into his room with another comic book 'Aye me hearties, yo ho!' in hand.

"Hey Roxas. Still working on your English homework?" Sora asked as he plopped himself down on the bed.

"Yeah, and I see you're not." Roxas commented as he looked at his brother.

"I'm getting there." He reasoned, earning himself a scoff from the brother who just laughed in return. "Mum said that lunch should be ready in about half an hour." Sora spoke as he opened up to a bookmarked page in his comic.

"Ok, cool." Roxas returned his gaze to the computer screen and began typing out another paragraph.

'If I got lost, would you come and look for me?'

'It goes without saying, brother.'

Roxas couldn't help but smile to himself as he typed out the dialogues of his fictional characters. They shared such an unbreakable bond that reminded himself that he and Sora shared with each other, he couldn't help but feel as though they were somewhat connected.

'It's a promise.'

Roxas halted momentarily, blinking at the words that he just typed out. 'It's a promise…' he thought to himself as he stared down at his fingers. 'Promise.' He thought back to the dream he had last night. The promise that he made with an imaginary person.

'Who are you?'

"Roxas, you're talking to yourself again."

The blond turned his head to his brother and laughed. "Sorry, got carried away again."

"As usual." Sora smiled at his brother as he glanced over his comic book. "So, who's this person you're talking about?"

Roxas rested his chin on his hand, staring at the ceiling before replying, "Somebody from my story, I guess." And returned to his computer.

"Sounds interesting." The brunet smiled and returned to his comic book.

"Yup." He smiled to himself. 'Very interesting...'

* * *

The phone rang once, momentarily halting Roxas in the midst of his typing before returning to it. The phone rang twice. This time, the blond stopped typing and turned his head towards the door. The phone rang thrice before it was cut on the third ring. The blond reached for his mouse and clicked on the 'Save' button and moved on to proof-read his work. That is, before his mum called out for him.

"Roxas! It's for you dear." Came the muffled tone that belonged to his mother.

The blond sighed, a sigh of happiness to welcome the break, a sigh of frustration at the interruption. "Coming!" he shouted out as he pushed himself away from the table and walked towards the door. He calmly jogged down the stairs and reached for the cordless phone that his mother offered to him. "Thanks mum." His mother smiled in return and went back into the kitchen. "Hello?"

"Hey Roxas. Feel like hanging out with us and getting a sea-salt ice cream?" the person, whose name was Hayner, asked from the other side.

"Sure, what time?" he smiled as he leaned on a nearby wall.

"How about after lunch? Say, around 12.30 to 1 ish."

"Cool." He glanced at the clock that hung on the wall reading 12.02. "Meet at the usual spot?"

"Of course." He could hear the smile from Hayner's voice.

"Cool. Catch ya later."

"See ya." A click was heard and then the monotonous beeping. Roxas pushed the 'End' button of the cordless phone and returned it to its resting place on the kitchen counter.

"Going out today, honey?" his mother asked as she sliced the sandwich into a triangular half.

"Yeah, just hanging out with the gang." He spoke while leaning on the kitchen counter, watching his mother work.

"Bring Sora with you. Reading comic books all weekend is not good for his eyes." She smiled as she placed the sliced sandwiches on the plate. "Lunch is ready, would you go and get Sora for me please?"

"Ok." He pushed himself off the counter and walked up the stairs two at a time before going into the brunet's room. "Hey Sora. Lunch is ready."

"Cool. What are we having?" the brunet asked as he stuffed a bookmark on a page and threw the comic onto his bed.

"Sandwiches."

"What's in 'em?" Sora asked as he walked out the door that the blond held open for him.

"Looks like there's some chicken and bacon in it."

"Yum!" he threw his arms out in excitement again as dashed down the stairs, again barely missing the blond by an inch. "Opps, sorry." He apologized with a smile and scratched his cheek again.

"No worries." He smiled at his brother as they walked into the living room area. "Hey, wanna go get ice cream later?"

"Sweet! Who are we going with? Can I bring a friend?"

"Going with the gang and yeah sure, Riku can come too."

"Yay! Ice cream, ice cream, I love ice cream." He sang happily as he sat on his usual spot by the table, waiting for his lunch.

"Alright boys, today on the menu we have the classic chicken club sandwich." Their mother announced as she placed down a plate in front of the two of them.

"Looks delicious!" Sora practically drooled again as he looked at his food. Roxas couldn't help but shake his head at his brother.

* * *

"Thanks for the food mum." The blond spoke as he rose up from his seat, picking up his plate and walking towards the kitchen sink. "It was great."

"You're welcome dear."

Roxas turned the knob of the tap on and rinsed his plate before grabbing the sponge and squirting a bit of soap on it before scrubbing it clean. Once the plate was clean he rinsed it again and placed it on the dish rack to let it hang dry.

He walked into the living room and looked up at the clock which read 12.36 before stopping at the base of the stairs. "Hey Sora. We'll be leaving soon."

"Ok, I'm almost done." He spoke as he stuffed the last bit of the sandwich into his mouth, earning a protest from the mother, "Sora! Don't eat so fast."

Roxas smiled at the two of them before walking up the stairs into his room. He took out another pair of socks and sat down on the bed to put them on. He turned his head towards the computer and contemplated whether he should switch it off or leave it on.

'I probably won't be home for a few hours. Better to switch it off now.' He thought to himself as he got up from his bed and reached for the mouse. He saved his work once again before closing the window then moved the mouse over to the 'Start' button and clicked on it, an array of options appeared on the screen and he moved his mouse over to the 'Turn off computer' option but halted.

'Face down.'

He glanced over at the Internet Browser and clicked on it, going to his usual site for downloading music. He searched up the song and right clicked for it to save into his music file. Once the download began, he took out his mp3 player from his pocket and connected it to the computer. The download didn't take more than a minute to finish and once it was done, he copied the file and pasted it into his mp3. Once he disconnected the player, he stuffed it back into his pocket and glided his mouse to the 'Turn off computer' button and switched it off.

He walked out of his room and closed the door. Whistling a tune and walking down the stairs to find his brother putting his shoes on. "Ready to go?" Roxas asked as he walked over to his shoes.

"Always ready for ice cream." Sora stuck out his tongue and opened the door.

Roxas tied his shoelaces and walked out the door after Sora. "Bye mum! We'll be back later. I've got my cell phone with me if you need anything." Roxas called out as he took a step out of the house.

"Ok dears. Be safe and be back home before dinner!" she waved at them from the kitchen.

"Sure mum." Sora shouted out as Roxas closed the door.

As soon as the walked out to the pathway, Sora took out his cell phone and started to text to somebody, no doubt it would be Riku. After ten seconds of sending the text, his phone rang.

"Hey Riku!" Sora greeted happily. "Yeah, we're gonna go get ice-cream. Wanna come?" Roxas could hear the muffled tone that belonged to Riku as he walked along beside Sora. "I'm gonna go with Roxas to meet up with his friends first. Wanna meet up at the ice-cream parlor?" they both took a left and Roxas took out his mp3 player, putting in the earphones and turning it on. "Cool, I don't know what we'll be doing after." Once the music turned on, he shuffled through the play-list to find the latest addition. After finding it, he pushed the play button and ignored his brother's conversation.

He started to subconsciously nod his head to the tune and hummed along with it. It was a very 'emo' song, in his opinion but he liked it none-the-less.

As they turned another corner, Sora was starting to shout into his phone, and he could be heard over his music.

"I can't hear you! There's too much static. Hello? Riku?? I can hear echoes!" Sora was shouting in his phone and plugging his other ear with a finger. "Ah dammit, Riku, can I call you back later?"

"Nah, I think we're fine." Sora cracked his neck by turning so fast to see the speaker. He smiled as he clicked his phone and stuffed it back into his pocket.

"You evil poo! No wonder there's so much interference, you were only a few feet away." Sora laughed as he walked up to the silver haired boy.

"Hey Sora, Roxas." The boy greeted the two of them.

"Hey Riku." The blond greeted and returned to his music.

"Roxas, why don't you go ahead? I'll be hanging out with Riku, ok?"

"Sure. See you later." Roxas waved the two of them off and continued his path towards the meeting spot. After walking a bit, he started to sing out the second chorus.

"Do you feel like a man, when you push her around?

Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground?

Well I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's going to end,

As your lies crumble down, a new life she has found." He sang to himself as he continued walking, his hands in his pockets, his head nodding to the tune. He hadn't noticed that somebody was following him until the other person spoke.

"You actually downloaded the song."

Roxas stopped walking, wondering if it was his imagination or something. He tilted his head slightly before turning around to find the same person he saw just this morning. Roxas widened his eyes a little and took out an ear plug. "Hey, it's you."

"Yeah, but I don't like to be called 'you'. The name's Axel. Got it memorized?" the red head raised two fingers to his temple and made a salute.

'Interesting.' He thought to himself, "I'm Roxas."

"As I was saying before, you actually downloaded the song." The red head spoke as he decided to also take out his ear plug in order to hear better.

"Yeah, it's a cool song."

"It's an emo song."

"So?"

"You don't look like one."

"I don't have to be one to listen to certain songs." He reasoned. "Besides, you don't look like one either." He commented as he looked up and down the red head.

Axel laughed at the blond. "Really, I don't look like one, you say."

"You just look like an ordinary guy who likes to wear a lot of black clothes."

Axel chuckled as he looked at Roxas. "I'm not sure if you're being nice or whatever, but I digress. There's a concert with the band playing in a couple of nights at the club called 'The World that Never Was'. If you're interested, maybe I'll see you there." The red head turned around and walked off. "Talk to ya next time." He gave Roxas another salute and continued to stroll down the path.

Roxas stood there as he watched the red head walk off into the distance. "I'm not really a big fan of concerts." He replied, knowing that Axel wouldn't hear him, as he raised his ear plug back and shrugged. "But, who knows. Maybe I'll see you around regardless of location and day." He talked to himself as he turned around and walked off to their usual spot.

* * *

Oh la la… 


	4. Emoness

He had always led the normal teenager life. He had good friends, a good family, good grades and a good school. But when you suddenly add in an unknown factor, everything changes. For better or for worse. Roxas x Axel.

I'm listening to another song, it's nice…I only had one review…Sniff…But I decided to update the story anyways…

StarlightDemonFiresong – Oh dammit! I knew I forgot something…I forgot to describe their mother…Gosh darn it…I'm so disappointed with myself…But now that I think about it, I've never actually pictured her as I wrote. I just picture her as…a no-face…What the…That ain't nice…

* * *

"Man, what took you so long? It's already after 1." The boy with the dirty blond hair complained as Roxas came into view.

"Sorry, I was talking to a friend." Roxas apologized as he took out his mp3 and switched it off.

"Hey Roxas." A girl with brunette hair waved.

"Hey Olette." He smiled and gave a wave back. "Hey Pence."

"Well, now that we're all here, let's go get ice cream!" Hayner punched the air and moved over to Roxas. Swinging an arm over the blonds' shoulder. "Man, that assignment is a total killer."

"English assignment?" Roxas asked.

"Duh. When I finished it, it looked like a freakin' book." He threw his head back and laughed.

"Aww come on Hayner. It's not that bad. Right, Roxas?" Olette turned her head from one boy to another. "Even me and Pence finished it by Saturday."

"Speak for yourself, I had to wake up early to finish it off." Hayner scoffed, still keeping his arm draped over Roxas' shoulder. "What about you?" he asked the blond. "I'm sure you've already finished it."

"I haven't finished it yet." This earned a gasp from his three friends.

"You haven't finished it yet? Roxas, I'm shocked." Olette covered her mouth with a hand. Roxas couldn't quite pinpoint whether she was being sarcastic or being truly shocked as she said she was.

"Well, it's not quite true. I finished it on Saturday night, but it was over the limit, so I had to start another one." Roxas reasoned.

"Man, and here I thought I was the good boy for once." He smirked.

"The day you become the good boy is the day I forget my own name. Which is never." Roxas smirked in return and ducked his head in time to dodge the blow on the head. He started laughing when Hayner threw a tantrum. "Chill man. I'll treat you to an ice cream."

"Yeah, you better." He smirked and folded his arms.

"Let's go." Roxas nudged his head in the direction of the ice cream parlor and started walking, his friends jogging up to walk beside him.

Olette occasionally brought up their homework from other subjects, making Hayner complain and Pence would take pictures of their expressions.

"Summer is coming up soon. I can't wait." Hayner stretched out his arms towards the sky as they rounded a corner, each step allowing them to draw closer to their destination. "No homework, no assignments, no school. Just free time."

"Says you. I'm sure we'll end up getting one or two assignments." Pence spoke as he took a picture of a cloud in the sky the shape of a heart.

"Shh, don't say that Pence, we might actually end up getting them." Hayner whispered.

"Pssh, I'm more than sure we'll get at least one assignment." Pence spoke as he bent over to tie his laces. "Hold up."

"Yeah, there's no way we wouldn't get one, right Roxas?" Olette stopped to let Pence tie up his laces.

"It'll be nice if we didn't though. But it's not like we can't handle it." Roxas sighed internally. "Although I might go crazy when there's nothing to do."

"Only you'd go crazy Roxas." Hayner smirked.

"But then again, I reckon Hayner wouldn't be able to handle the assignments and he'll go crazy before I do." He laughed and started running.

"Says you!" Hayner shouted out and started chasing after the blond. "Come back here!"

"You'd kill me if I do!" he turned his head around and found the others running after him.

"You still owe me an ice cream!" he saw the blond jump over a hedge and copied him.

"Not unless you kill me first!"

"I want my ice cream first, _then_ I'll kill you!"

"How nice of you Hayner!" he laughed and ran the rest of the way to the ice cream shop.

* * *

It was sunset before he had to leave the gang to go back home for dinner. He whistled a tune as he walked down the streets, taking turns around a corner here and there. The closer he got to home, the more he realized that he didn't want to go home just yet. He wanted to relax a bit more before Saturday ends.

He stopped and backtracked a few paces to take a different route. To his spot where he could get a good view of the sunset. It was like a park, except there were no trees, no grass, no playgrounds and no benches to sit on except the railings. It was a secluded area that he came upon in autumn when he was too caught up in his world of homework and school to realize that he was lost. Of course, he wasn't too completely lost. There were certain land marks around the place so he was able to find his way home again, but he liked the site and bookmarked it in his mind to return here again some day.

He took a seat on the railings and allowed his feet to swing back and forth. The blond then took out his mp3 player and scrolled down the list to another song.

"I am an arms dealer.  
Fitting you with weapons in the form of words.  
And don't really care, which side wins.  
As long as the room keeps singing.  
That's just the business I'm in."

"So you _are_ an emo." A familiar voice spoke again.

Roxas turned his head around to find a certain red head. "Hey Axel. No I'm not an emo."

"Hey Roxas. You're an emo on the inside."

'So he remembers my name.' "You're an emo on the outside."

"No, I'm all emo. In and out." He smirked and leaned on the railings next to the blond. "So what brings you here to this little spot."

"I come here often to think and look at the sunset."

Axel scoffed. "What are you, gay?"

The blond stared at the red head, wondering if he was being sarcastic or not. "No, I'm not gay. I'm as straight as a pencil."

"Until I break it." He chuckled and took out a cigarette, making Roxas grimace slightly. "What?" he asked as he stuck the cigarette into his mouth and dug his hands into his pockets.

"I don't like smokers." He recoiled a bit more when Axel took out his lighter and brought it up to his cigarette, lighting it up and taking a deep inhalation.

"Too bad. Just gonna have to get use to it." He released the smoke from his lungs.

"You know it's bad for you." Roxas spoke, trying not to breath in the smoke.

"All the more thrilling." He smirked and took another drag, turned to the blond and exhaled, causing Roxas to fall back suddenly from his spot, landing on the floor on his back, making the red head cackle with laughter.

"Don't do that!" Roxas regained his composure and brushed out the dirty bits of his clothes. "That's just rude."

"Well, I'm a rude little bugger." He chuckled and continued smoking.

"I can hardly call you little." Roxas rolled his eye while choosing to stand a little bit away from the red head.

"Ah, but you admit that I'm a bugger."

"Of course."

He laughed quietly, exhaling the smoke as he did so. "You got some guts kid, talking to a guy like me."

"Ok, firstly. Don't call me kid. And secondly, what's wrong with talking to you?" he asked as he folded his arms to his chest.

"I don't look the sociable type."

"Well, people shouldn't judge others by their looks. You know, don't judge a book by its cover." This made Axel give the blond a slightly weird look. "I mean, the front cover could look really crappy but the pages inside could be really interesting." He elaborated.

"So you're saying I look like crap." Axel looked offended.

"What? No! I mean, of course not." Roxas blushed and slapped himself on the forehead.

Axel laughed at the blond and took another drag from his cigarette. "Chill, I was only joking."

"Oh, ha-ha, very funny." Roxas rolled his eyes, but his blush didn't disappear. After the red head exhaled, he drew in one last breath and dropped the cigarette on the floor before smothering it with his black shoe.

"I see you going red in the face." He got up from his seat and walked over to the blond. He bent down just slightly and poked the blond on the cheeks, making him recoil again. "Ah, you got the hots for me." He smirked, feeling proud of himself after seeing the blush redden.

"I do not." He denied while looking away from the red head and trying to fight down his reddening cheeks.

"Tsk, tsk Roxas. Don't lie to me now." He clicked his tongue, his smirk turning into a soft smile.

When Roxas shifted his eyes over to Axel, he couldn't help but focus on the genuine smile he was giving, but as soon as he saw it, Axel's face grew slack.

The red head quickly looked away and dug his pockets for his mp3 player. As soon as he placed the earplugs into his ear and switched on the device, he started walking away.

"Where are you going?" Roxas asked, still standing on the same spot but following the red head's movement.

"No where important." He spoke with his head turned around while he was still walking. "Oh yeah, Sick Cycle Carousel is a pretty good song too. By the Lifehouse. Got it memorized?" He smirked and turned his head back to the front while waving to the blond. "See you around kid."

"Yeah, see ya." He raised his hand slightly to wave back. Watching him walk away and disappear around the corner. "Sick cycle carousel…" he raised an eyebrow. "Sounds emo."

* * *

"I'm home." He called out tiredly as he gently closed the door behind him.

"Welcome home dear." His mother walked out of the kitchen with a bowl and a whisk. "Where's Sora?" she asked, her blue eyes looking inquisitive, after noticing that his son came home alone.

"Oh, he's gone out to hang with Riku, he should be back home soon." He spoke as he bent over to untie his shoelaces.

"Ok then. Dinner's not done yet but it'll be ready in about half an hour or so." She smiled and returned to the kitchen, her long brunette hair tied up loosely swinging behind her.

"Alright." He spoke wearily as he leaned on the wall with one hand and took off his shoe with the other and repeated the process again with the other shoe. "I'll be up in my room mum." He shouted out as he began his ascent up the stairs.

"Ok dear." He heard her call out after him.

He sighed after he reached the top of the stairs, shuffling his feet along the carpeted corridors towards his bedroom door. He turned the door knob and entered the room, taking out his personal belongings from his various pockets and placing them on the dressing table. He then shuffled towards his computer chair and dumped himself on it. Sighing once again before shifting over to switch on the computer. Blue eyes continued to stare at the monitor, even after its routine startup. His vision blurred slightly, fading in and out of consciousness. Eventually, he submitted to his drowsiness and let his head fall back gently on the back rest of his chair.

* * *

_He found himself falling in the darkness again. But despite the falling, he felt relaxed. And when a familiar voice spoke, he was only slightly surprised._

"_Roxas…"_

'_How did you know my name?' He opened his eyes and reached out towards the darkness._

"_You told me your name…you promised you'd help me…"_

'_I don't remember telling you my name.' he saw something blurry in the distance, something that reminded him of someone. 'But I remember my promise.'_

"_Then why haven't you helped me?" the voice pleaded desperately._

'_I will, I promise I will. I don't break my promises.' He landed softly on the floor, if there was one. Everything was so dark, he couldn't even see whatever was in front of him, except for that familiar 'something'. He began to walk towards it, in hopes to find maybe the owner of the voice. 'Show me what you need help with.'_

"_I need help…" the voice faded away and he began running, his arm outstretched.

* * *

_

Roxas woke up with a start, his eyes widened and his arm extended to the ceiling. "With what?" he asked, hoping that the voice would return. "What do you need help with?" he whispered as he lowered his hand.

He remained silent for the next few moments, wondering back to his dream. 'I've been having these weird dreams lately, haven't I?' he asked himself as he gave a half smile, while shifting his eyes over to the monitor. He shook his head before letting his hand reach out for the mouse and guiding it over to the file and opening his document. His fingers hovered over the keyboard as he stared at the last sentence that he typed out earlier in the day.

He thought for a moment of how to continue his essay but he came up with a blank. He scowled to himself before sitting back in the chair to stare at the screen, watching the blinking of the pointer with intolerable eyes. He hated writer's block, it comes rarely for him, but when it comes, it stays for a long while.

He let out a growl of frustration before deciding to leave it for later, choosing to surf the net and wait for his muse to return. As he signed into his 'KH Messenger' he received a greeting from his friend.

Struggler says: hey roxas

KeyOfDestiny says: sup hayner

Struggler says: finished ur essay yet?

KeyOfDestiny says: not really, just surfing the net now

Struggler says: oo cool XD

KeyOfDestiny says: u must be happy i haven't finished mine yet

Struggler says: ehh…not really lol

Roxas laughed to himself, he knew that Hayner was enjoying the fact that he hadn't finished his assignment yet. He was in the middle of replying when someone signed in.

Struggler says: hey look, its pence

Struggler says: i'll add him

KeyOfDestiny says: ok

----PhotoShopper has been added to the conversation.---

KeyOfDestiny says: hey pence

Struggler says: sup dude

PhotoShopper says: yo

PhotoShopper says: wassup

Struggler says: nm u?

KeyOfDestiny says: wat he said

PhotoShopper says: ah u know, same old same old for me

Struggler says: lol

Struggler says: u and ur photoshop XD

PhotoShopper says: heh

PhotoShopper says: oh hey, i was wondering if anybodys seen my cd around

KeyOfDestiny says: wat cd?

PhotoShopper says: u know, that cd ive been holding onto for a few days

KeyOfDestiny says: i dont remember you holding a cd

Struggler says: me too

Struggler says: wats in it?

PhotoShopper says: just a music cd

PhotoShopper says: tidus lent it to me

Struggler says: lol u lost his cd? dang

PhotoShopper says: i didnt lose it on purpose…its probably around my house…i hope…

KeyOfDestiny says: keep on looking for it

KeyOfDestiny says: it might be right under ur nose

Struggler says: lol maybe its in ur locker

PhotoShopper says: maybe…

KeyOfDestiny says: im gonna sign off now

KeyOfDestiny says: good luck with finding it pence

KeyOfDestiny says: see yaz

PhotoShopper says: thanks

Struggler says: laterz

PhotoShopper says: bai

Roxas smiled as he glided his mouse over to the messenger and right clicked for the usual options to appear and chose to sign out. At the mention of music, it triggered a memory that happened just a few moments ago. As he opened up the page to his favorite download site, he typed in the words 'Sick Cycle Carousel LifeHouse' in the search column and pushed the 'Enter' button. Waiting a few seconds for the search results to come through before choosing the best file to download from. After he chose the location for the file to be saved to, the download was executed.

The song didn't take more than a few minutes to complete but while it was in the middle of downloading, he walked over to his dressing table to pick up his mp3 and connected it to the computer. Once the download was completed, he copied a file and pasted it into his mp3 player before disconnecting it.

He double clicked on the song file and it opened up the default media player. It began with soft guitar chords before a low voice joined in. It was a soothing song, well, for the first part.

"Yup, sounds emo."

* * *

Whee! This fic is SOMEWHAT easier than the pirate theme one. Lol. Such a sad, sad truth…But that doesn't mean I totally didn't enjoy writing it, because I seriously did enjoy writing it. Lol.

Oh and erm…If you could leave a review, that would be totally awesome. Let me know if there was anything you enjoyed in this story. Because with the small amount that I'm getting, it's discouraging me from continuing. Not that it's a threat that I would discontinue, but…

Oh man…everything I am trying to say right now has flown out the window.

I'll keep this sweet and short…Review and get your updates sooner!! Muahahha!


	5. Not enough time, Too much time

He had always led the normal teenager life. He had good friends, a good family, good grades and a good school. But when you suddenly add in an unknown factor, everything changes. For better or for worse. Roxas x Axel.

Yay! Welcome to the Fifth Chapter…Sounds like the Fifth Dimension…Wow dude…

Ranchdressing – Lol, yes Axel is our emo and Roxas is our little emo. Ain't that cute?

Dark Firesong - Ooo why did you change your pen-name? Did it get too long to type out? Anyways, I more than realized that the IM conversation was a tad…ridiculously useless, but I couldn't find any other way to summarize it. Either that or it's for the lack of trying. Lol. I couldn't agree more with the 'meetings'. They are oh-so interesting.

Crazydrawinggirl – Really? I LOVE that song. Lol. It's so nice…I'm so happy that you think it's a funny chapter. I feel so happy! And loved.

pride1289 – I received three reviews from you…And all on three different chapters…I'm so happy, I could just die and not care. Lol. But then I would have to be revived so I can update the story. Hehe.

So many reviews…I'm in heaven…

* * *

Sunday morning snuck its rays into Roxas' room. He scowled and buried himself deeper into his warm blanket and went back to sleep. He was about to fall into another dreamless sleep when his mother came in to wake him up.

"Roxas dear, wakey wakey. It's Sunday morning and you know what that means." She smiled as she pulled away his blankets, leaving him exposed to the sudden rush of cold air.

"Mum, I want more sleep." He whined and groped fruitlessly around for his blanket which his mother was holding onto.

"Now, now dear. It's Sunday morning and that means church. It's 8:30 now and service starts at 9:30. That leaves us an hour to get there, but you know since it takes us about half an hour for getting ready and breakfast, you need to scoot." She smiled as she sat beside the blond and placed a delicate hand on his shoulders.

"Mum, I want more sleep." He repeated in a pleading yet whiny voice.

"Roxas, I had expected you to be up and ready by your usual time of 8 o'clock. I had assumed you were already awake and perhaps working on your assignment. And I came up here to tell you to come down and eat breakfast, but instead I find you still snoozing away." She gave the blond a slight shake, and Roxas whined into his pillow before giving a grumble of a reply.

"Ok, I'll be down in ten minutes…"

"Good boy." She ran her fingers through his messy hair and gave him a kiss. "Now it's Sora's turn to wake up." She smiled as she placed his blankets at the end of his bed, tucking a long strand of brunette hair behind her ear and left his room.

Roxas grumbled his displeasure and sat up on his bed, revealing his slightly blood-shot eyes and slightly visible twin sets of eye bags.

The blond had spent a good half of the night in front of the computer trying to finish his assignment. And when he finally decided to go to bed, he spent the other half of the night tossing and turning, and when his muse returned, he quickly took down notes and hurried over to his computer to type it all out.

He didn't manage to get very far before his muse decided to go and leave him high and dry again in his writer's block. So it's safe to say that he did not have enough sleep at all.

Again grumbling his unhappiness, he shuffled his way out of his room and into the hallway where he also came face to face with his still half-asleep brother.

"Morning…" Roxas greeted, stifling a yawn while Sora gave him a grunt in reply while yawning and scratching his head.

They occasionally bumped into each other as they walked down the hallway, and when they entered the bathroom and picked up a toothbrush, they only half realized that it wasn't of their own.

With tired eyes staring at the toothbrush in front of them, they eventually realized that it belonged to the other. They turned and stared at each other before exchanging.

"I don't like Sunday, it means tomorrow's Monday." Sora grumbled as he squeezed the toothpaste out of the tube before handing it over to his brother. "What happened to sleeping in?"

"No comment." He replied tiredly as he took the offered toothpaste and squeezed some onto his own toothbrush before placing it back onto the counter.

After their daily routine of brushing their teeth and washing their faces, they returned to their rooms to get changed for their weekly outing to the church. Both brothers greeted each other in the hallway again, this time a little less tired and a little more cheerful.

"Good morning." Sora smiled as he half-skipped down the stairs with Roxas close behind, the blond rolled his eyes at his brother, both him and their mother were 'morning people', unlike him. 'Maybe I'm not like dad then', he assumed as he walked into the kitchen where their mother and father were.

"Hello dears, nice to see you both nice and wide awake and ready for the day." Their mother smiled as she picked up their father's dirty dishes while he read the newspaper.

"Good morning." He greeted, not looking up from the papers while giving them a slight shuffle.

"Morning." Roxas went into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of orange juice.

"Yum! Bacon and eggs on toast!" Sora exclaimed as a plate of the aforementioned food was placed in front of him.

"Sora, remember to chew." She laughed, her voice like the sound of a soothing wind-chime when the brunet gave a pout in return.

* * *

Today's church service was about 'Core Value number 2' of the '7 Core Values' of church. It was about 'transforming lives through the message of Christ about forgiveness, purpose and hope.' Roxas took down notes on the pamphlet that they were given at the entrance.

Sora fell asleep halfway through the service and Roxas had to bite back a laugh when the brunet let out a small snort and woke up with wide blue eyes. Their mother, a bit embarrassed, gave Sora a stern look that said 'Do that again and I will take away your library card which means no comics' while their father ignored them for favor of not getting too much attention. Their mother rarely ever got angry, but when she did, she was a force to be reckoned with. Her blue eyes would become darker and forbidding while her lips would be curled downwards just slightly.

But lucky for them, they sat all the way at the back because, unfortunately, they were late. After another ten minutes of talking about 'impacting and transforming lives' Sora fell asleep again.

Close to the end of the service, around 10:20, Sora woke up when everybody started singing church songs and wiped away a bit of drool from the corner of his mouth and joined in as well.

As soon as the service was finished, the usual after-service tea break was offered. So while their mother and their father chatted with their church friends, Sora stood by Roxas.

"Church is always so boring." Sora yawned and stretched his arms.

"Yeah, I can tell." Roxas smirked as he folded the pamphlet and slipped it into one of his empty pockets.

Sora laughed before taking a look over to their parents. "Where do you reckon we'll go next?"

"Don't know." Roxas shrugged as he leaned on the wall close by. "Depends on mum or dad I guess."

"Yeah. I'm hungry. I hope we'll go to lunch." The brunet wished as he patted his tummy.

"Sora, we ate breakfast like an hour and a half ago." The blond stared at his brother with shock.

"I have a small stomach." He whined as he rubbed his tummy.

"More like a bottomless pit." He scoffed. "Either way, I just wanna go out today."

"Where do you have in mind?" Sora asked as he leaned on the same wall as Roxas.

"No where in particular. Just random, meaningless walking around." He spoke as he waved his hand.

"Maybe." He laughed. "Look, they're coming back." He nudged his head towards their parents.

"Hello dears. Ready to go?" their mother smiled as she walked up to them, their father smiling to another church friend and waving them a greeting.

"Yup. Where are we gonna go mum?" Sora asked as he hopped up to meet her halfway.

"Hmm." She took a look at her wrist watch, a present from her husband. "It's only 11:00, why don't we go to the shopping plaza? That way you boys can have a walk around and we'll meet up for lunch later on."

"Yes!" Sora exclaimed as he narrowly missed giving Roxas an elbow to the stomach. "Opps, sorry Roxas." He smiled sheepishly as Roxas rolled his eyes at Sora's fondness for almost hurting the blond but missing by a hair's breadth.

"Alright boys. Off we go." She clapped her hands together and proceeded to walk slash skip out the doors, saying goodbye to some other friends as they exited the building.

Their mother continued to say her goodbyes to her friends while their father took out the keys as they walked closer to their car. He pushed a button and four resounding clicks and a 'beep' was heard.

As they filed into the car in their respective places, their mother rolled down the window on her side once she took notice of a very close church friend. "Linda! See you at life group!" she waved as her husband pulled out of the parking and onto the road. She managed to hear Linda say "See you then!" with a smile and a wave.

The drive towards the shopping plaza was filled with music and news from the radio. Whenever their mother heard a particular rock song, she would quickly push the button for the next station saying "That kind of music will make you deaf one day."

Of course, Sora would suppress a laugh behind his hand and Roxas would just continue to stare outside the window.

As soon as they arrived and found a suitable parking, they stood by the car to decide on when and where to meet.

"Alright boys, we'll meet up for lunch at say," she took a look at her watch, "12:30 ok? Then you can go off again and we'll meet back here at 4:00 so we can go home."

"Ok mum." Sora spoke with his hands in his pockets. Roxas could see that he was just itching to phone up Riku.

"I'll give you a ring if there's a change of plans ok?" she smiled as she began to walk away, her arms link with her husbands.

"Be good and don't cause any trouble." Their father waved to them before being half dragged away towards the shopping plaza.

"Bye!" Sora shouted out as he waved back. "So, what do you-"

"I know you wanna hang out with Riku." Roxas spoke as he took out his mp3.

"Hey, how did you know that?" he tilted his head to one side and stared at his brother.

"I can read your mind." he joked with a hint of sarcasm, but unfortunately, Sora didn't catch it.

"You're scary sometimes, bro." he laughed and took out his phone. "What are you gonna do?"

"I'll just walk around and whatever." He stuck the earphones into his ears and switched on his mp3.

"You sure? I mean, you can hang out with me and Riku too you know." He offered.

"It's cool, I'll just take my time and look at some shops." He smiled and started to walk away. "See you later bro." he waved.

It was ten minutes later, Roxas found himself thinking "I should've gone with Sora." when he began feeling bored after walking around looking through windows at items that were on display.

He sighed and turned the corner, his eyes just passing through people he would see and he had to do a double take when he noticed someone watching him. "Hmm?" he watched the red head that continued to lean on the wall and watch him, making the blond doubt if he was actually looking at him or not. He looked over his shoulder just in case and turned back to Axel.

"Yo." The red head saluted him.

Roxas managed a wave and walked up towards Axel. "Hey."

"You looked like you saw a ghost just now." He smirked.

"I wasn't sure if you were looking at me or not." Roxas reasoned as he switched off his mp3. "So what are you doing all the way out here?"

"Just hanging around." He sighed. "What about you?"

"Oh, I was just walking around. I just finished church."

"So you go to church do ya?"

"Mmhmm. Why?" he placed his hands in his pockets and shifted his position.

"I would never pin you as the church boy type." He smirked as he looked at the sky for a moment.

"What would you pin me as?" he asked opting to fold his arms.

"Hmm, don't know." He clicked his tongue and quickly changed the subject. "So, did you download the song I suggested?"

"Yup, I was listening to it just now." He heard Axel chuckle as he pushed himself off the wall, and began to walk away.

"Cool. Well, I guess that's my cue then." He turned his head and gave him another salute. "See ya around Roxy."

"Later." He raised his hand in an effort to wave back but as soon as Axel was out of sight, he thought back to the conversation. 'What cue…?' he wondered confusedly and then irritably. 'Don't call me Roxy." He sighed and waved it off.

He turned around and saw his favorite shop and proceeded to browse the store of its gadgets and games. It was ten minutes later before he emerged from the shop, but empty handed.

Roxas sighed and took a look at his watch, it was only 11:30 and there was an hour left before he had to meet up for lunch with his family. He was quite unsure about how to spend the rest of his free time until someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Nice to see you church boy."

"What are you, a stalker?" he raised an eyebrow in question.

"I just happen to be in the same place as you." He smirked. "That doesn't necessarily make me a stalker."

"True. But it's a little coincidental at times." He reasoned.

"You think too highly of yourself." The red head scoffed "Anyway, I just came across a song in my play-list, something you might be interested in."

"Ok, what is it?"

"The River by Good Charlotte. Got it memorized?" he spoke as he tapped his forehead with his finger. "It's a good song."

"Cool. I'll keep that in mind."

"Good to know you've got a good memory." He smirked again before walking off once more. "Catch ya next time Roxy."

"Stop calling me Roxy!" he shouted out to the red head who laughed and threw a wave back to the blond.

* * *

Lots of dialogues here. Sigh.

I have…a question…What's a plot bunny? I've been seeing people mentioning that a lot. There's actually a lot of fan-fiction jargon I don't know about. I mean, I recently found out what OTP is, and it stands more something along the lines of 'one true pair' or something like that. Close enough right? Anyways, if you've got anything to add to my slowly expanding dictionary, please feel free to tell me about them, aye?


	6. Sweet thing called Revenge

He had always led the normal teenager life. He had good friends, a good family, good grades and a good school. But when you suddenly add in an unknown factor, everything changes. For better or for worse. Roxas x Axel.

Eh…I do! Lol.

Ranchdressing – Lol, aww boogers…we both don't know what a plot bunny is…Won't someone help us? (Puppy dog eyes)

Dark Firesong – Yay!! A hero to save us from fan-fiction jargon!! Thank you so much! And as for the church thing…GOOD IDEA!! Lol.

pride1289 – Lol, we learn new things everyday. Hoorah for our expanding mind dictionary!!

Crazydrawinggirl – Yay! Another reviewer for my collection! Lol. Here's the next update! Hopefully sooner than you expected. Lol.

Bubblegum Head – Don't we all wish for waffles in the morning. Lol. Yummy goodness…Lucky Sora! Thanks for your review! It was totally kick-ass material Lol.

I dedicate this chapter to Dark Firesong for helping with our dilemma of jargons.

A **plot bunny** is generally a plot that nags at an author's mind to be written.

* * *

It was a new day, which in turn, led to a new week. Today was Monday and he had the pleasure of receiving a phone call in the early morning. His phone vibrated as the ring tone of 'This is Halloween' played along with it. He groaned as he turned and groped blindly on the table by his bed for his mobile. Once he found it, he took a deep breath and pushed the pick-up button.

"Hello…?" he mumbled as he propped himself up on one elbow.

"Yo Roxy, guess who." He heard a purr from the other end.

"Axel, its 6:30 in the morning. What do you want?" he groaned and plopped himself back on the bed.

"It would've been better if you said that it was 4o'clock in the fucking morning, it reminds me of a song. Anyways, what makes you think I want anything Roxy?" he chuckled.

"What song are you talking about? And nobody phones at 6:30 in the morning just to say hello." He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"The Taste of Ink by The Used. Got it memorized? And well, that's true. I don't wanna say hello. I wanna say good morning!" he could hear the happiness emitted from the red head's voice.

"I shouldn't have given you my number." He groaned as he scratched his head. He had given the red head his number after bumping into him four more times at the shopping plaza.

"Now, now Roxas. Don't be rude."

"You're an emo. You shouldn't care what other people think." he spoke as he sat himself up on his bed.

"True, but I care what _you_ think."

"I'm flattered." He spoke and he heard a chuckle from the other end. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Yeah, I was wondering if…" his voice going unexpectedly serious making the blond somewhat worried.

"Yeah? What is it?" he asked gently, trying to probe him to continue.

"It's-It's nothing. Don't worry about it." He laughed, trying to hide the awkward moment.

"Huh? No, wait tell me." He sounded anxious.

"Nah. Maybe next time kid." His voice changing back to normal. He could hear the smirk in his voice as he spoke.

"Don't call me kid." Roxas murmured.

"Well, whatever. Go back to sleep. Goodnight Roxy." Was the last thing he said before the familiar 'end tone' was heard.

"As if I could go to sleep now." He spoke softly as he held the phone in front of him. "What were you gonna say?" he asked the phone, somewhat hoping it would answer.

School starts at 8:40, which was a full two hours away. More or less. It was too early to get ready, and it was too late to go back to sleep.

He considered phoning back the red head, but decided it was best to leave it and wait for him to come around in his own time.

Of course, that didn't stop him from pondering what he wanted to say. So the rest of the morning was spent on wondering and contemplating about a certain red head. By the time he needed to get ready, he felt tired enough to go back to sleep. But unfortunately, his mother came in and told him to get up.

* * *

After they were both dropped off to school by their father, Sora would make a bee-line for his lockers to get out his books, A.K.A the meeting spot where he and Riku would routinely meet up every morning of the school week.

Roxas would slowly and leisurely walk his way into the school hallways, occasionally greeting his friends or school mates and start up a conversation of 'how homework sucked' and 'how the weekend was too short for comfort'.

After deciding to say goodbye and opt to meet up during class or later, he would re-position his bag and walk towards his locker. That is, until he noticed a certain something standing sticking out like an oasis in the middle of the sandy desert.

"Huh? Since when do you go to this school?" he spoke as he stood a ways away.

Catching the attention of that certain someone, he replied with a slight smirk, "I've been going to this school for a long time."

"Oh, I never noticed before." He grinned sheepishly.

"Well, now here I am." He presented himself as he held his head high as though he was an image of Jesus, Roxas thought.

"Ok…" he was lost for words.

"Maybe you're finally seeing things you've never noticed before. You know." He placed a hand on the blonds' shoulder. "Your horizons are expanding." He spoke as he moved his hand from one side to another.

"I suppose."

"Anyways, I see you around all the time." He straightened himself out and stood in front of the blond.

"Why didn't you introduce yourself sooner?" he inquired.

"Dude, we first met on Saturday morning."

"True…I forgot." 'I could've sworn we've known each other a bit longer than that.' He thought to himself.

Axel laughed, catching the blond in a slight surprise. "Yeah well, it does feel like we've known each other for a while though, doesn't it."

"Yeah, I was just thinking that." He smiled.

"Anyways, I'm a gonna get back to my peeps." He motioned his head towards a blond with a mullet and another boy with grayish hair with a blue tinge.

Roxas laughed, receiving a look of confusion from the red head. "What?"

"You sound like those gangster people."

"Pssh. Don't say something like that. Gangster people _hate_ emos." He sneered.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"Don't know, don't care. I don't give a shit." He waved off the topic but Roxas continued to probe.

"Do _you_ hate them?"

"Nah, I didn't before. But they seem to honestly hate us, so. I guess it's fair to hate them back."

"What if they thought that _you_ hated them, which in turn, made them hate you?"

"Ain't that just a vicious cycle…" he asked rhetorically. "As long as we don't kill each other, we'll be fine." He glanced over at the blond and noticed that look. "Don't gimme that look. I don't need your pity."

"I don't pity you. It's sympathy, understanding, compassion. Take your pick."

Axel scoffed.

"Pity is to imply shame or disappointment. And it just sounds…I don't know. Like a sad word." Roxas explained, unsure if he sounded even comprehendible.

"So you're saying you understand."

"I suppose. More or less." He felt as though he needed to elaborate more, but he was fumbling with his words. "I don't know, I guess, I was kinda hoping it would work out better for you."

"Thanks kid." He ruffled the blonds' hair, making it messier than what it was before. "What will be, will be." He shrugged as he walked away towards his other friends. "See you later."

"Later." He spoke as he watched the red head walk away, Roxas felt a little incomplete, as though what he wanted to say to him was at the tip of his tongue but it kept on slipping away. But he decided to let it go and leave it for later as he walked in the direction of his locker. Eager to lighten his load a little and exchange books for the class to come.

As he turned the dial on his combination lock, Hayner leaned on the locker next to him. "Yo Roxas. I saw you talking to that emo guy." He hissed the word 'emo'. "Was he bugging you?" he asked with a hint of anger and protectiveness.

"Nah, he's a friend." He took out his English folder out from his bag and replaced it with his statistic mathematics book. "Let's see, Stats and then science." He sighed and then took out his three Sciences books as well. 'So much for lightening the load.'

"What? But he's an emo." He fired up.

"So? It's just the way he dresses, that's all."

"Dude…" He knew that Hayner meant well but sometimes, it gets a little over the top especially when the dirty blond boy uses aggression to make them convert back to being 'normal'. But what exactly _is_ 'normal'?. "Don't tell me _you're_ turning emo."

"What's wrong with me having a friend who likes to dress up in black?"

"He's emo Roxas. E-MO." He enunciated the last two syllables, making Roxas a little irritated.

"What's wrong with you? Don't judge a book by its cover. Ever heard of that?" he retorted.

"Whatever man." He scoffed and walked away from Roxas. Leaving the blond to think back on their argument. 'What's so wrong about being friends with Axel?'

He continued to watch his friend walk away when a metallic knock was heard from behind him.

"If you're gonna argue like that just because of me, then we better cut our ties." The red head spoke as he watched the boy with the dirty blond hair turn the corner.

"No, if he can't accept the bigger picture, then he's a lot more stubborn than I thought." He sighed. "Not everything in the world revolves around him."

This earned him a chuckle from the red head. "It's good that you don't judge by looks. But be warned. Sometimes it'll come back and bite you in the ass."

"Nice choice of words. Why can't you settle for 'Be careful with who you associate with.'?"

"My way sounds cooler." He smirked as he continued to lean on the locker.

"Oh yeah, right." He checked his locker for the last things he needed before closing it.

"Did you download the song I recommended?" he asked, his voice filled with a slight hint of eagerness.

"Yeah, I downloaded it this morning. After you woke me up." He raised an eyebrow towards the red head in accusation.

Axel laughed, "I told you to go back to sleep."

"I couldn't go back to sleep after you left me hanging like that."

"Sorry. Want another song?" he offered as his way of apology, his jade eyes looking straight in a deep sea blue.

"Sure." He found himself lost in those green eyes. 'They say that eyes are the mirrors to the soul. I wonder if it's true.' He thought to himself as he continued to stare into those emerald eyes.

"I caught fire in your eyes."

"Wha?"

"It's the name of the song. I caught Fire (In Your Eyes) by The Used. Here, lemme write it down for you." He smirked as he took out a small piece of paper and a pen from his pockets and scribbled down the song title.

"Oh, yeah, I didn't get that when you said it." He smiled sheepishly as he stared at the piece of paper handed to him.

"Yeah, I didn't think so. Anyways, I'm off to class. Catch ya later." He waved and began his trek towards class at who knows where.

"See ya." He waved back and pocketed the paper into his pocket before heading to his first period class, idly wondering if he had any classes with him, but shook his head and thought that he would've noticed someone as flamboyant as Axel. 'But then again…' he hadn't noticed him at all throughout the time that they were in school. So maybe…

He entered the class and took a look around and didn't see the red head, therefore, he assumed that he would be in a different class, so when he sat down at his regular seat, he was more than surprised when a certain red head walked through the classroom doors with a certain blond and a certain…boy with grayish blue hair.

"Hey! It's Roxy!" the red head greeted.

Roxas had to mentally plunge his head on the desk when the absurd nickname was announced so loudly.

"I don't think everybody in the class heard you." He scoffed sarcastically as Axel drew closer to his desk.

"Oh really?" he took a deep breath. "HEY! IT'S-"

"I was joking!!" he shouted out as he pulled the red head down to prevent him from embarrassing him further.

"Oi, don't shout so early in the morning." Their teacher yelled out and rubbed his temples. "Damn, never play poker on Sunday nights ever again."

"Good morning Mr. Luxord." The class greeted their Stats teacher.

"Good morning." He dropped his folders and books on his desk and sat down. "Axel, get back to your seat."

"Can I get a seating change?" he smiled ever so sweetly.

"What, if I may ask, for?" he narrowed his eyes slightly. Either because of the brightness of the room or the suspiciousness coming from the red head.

"Because I wanna sit by my new friend Roxy." He smiled again as he swung an arm over the blonds' shoulder. "I told you not to call me that!" was Roxas' reply.

"Ask Roxas." He rolled his eyes as he picked up one of the folders for the roll-check.

"Please." Axel begged, even adding a small pout just for the fun of it.

"You're gonna end up distracting me." The blond sighed.

"I won't call you Roxy anymore. I promise."

"You're gonna end up copying my work."

"I do my own work. Come on Roxas. Please??" he asked and clapped his hands together in front of him.

"I'm gonna start class soon." Luxord warned as he continued ticking the names of whoever was in class.

Roxas sighed one more time, making Axel resort to the last, common form of begging. "Pretty, pretty please with whipped cream and a cherry on top?"

The blond sighed and gave in. "Ok fine." Making Axel whoop in victory. "I'm so gonna regret this, aren't I?"

"Nah, I'll make it worth your while." He smiled and settled into the desk by Roxas.

* * *

I couldn't be stuffed trying to think of last names. Lol. So there you have it.


	7. Hacks and Cheats

He had always led the normal teenager life. He had good friends, a good family, good grades and a good school. But when you suddenly add in an unknown factor, everything changes. For better or for worse. Roxas x Axel.

Hmm…it's 1.15 am and I'm here writing this. How lovely.

Einatsu – Yay! I'm glad you enjoy reading this!

pride1289 – Kya!! Sporks!! They are so interesting to use! Lol. You can scoop up a bit of soup with your noodles!! Lol. Random thought there.

Aryna.Tahashi – Axel is HOT! Lol. Here's the next update! Hopefully sooner than you think.

Dark Firesong – Lol, totally made me raise an eyebrow at that one. 'Human Verification'…how the hell did they think of stuffs like that?

Crazydrawinggirl – Lol! Here's another for ya!!

Bubblegum Head – Mr. Luxord has a nice ring to it. Not so much for the others though. Lol. It probably comes with his looks or something.

Ranchdressing – Yes, yes! I completely agree. Although sometimes change isn't appreciated but it's all good.

* * *

As it turns out, Roxas had more than one class together with the red head. Although he was still surprised every time the Axel asked the teacher for a seating change.

"Mr. Vexen!! Can I sit by Roxas?" he raised his arm and waved it about while the other arm was draped over the blonds' shoulder.

"Why would you want to sit by Roxas?" he asked as he rolled his head about.

"Because he's my new friend." He smiled again as he patted Roxas on the shoulder.

"Announce it to the whole world, why don't cha." The blond rolled his eyes.

"As long as you don't cause much trouble, I shall allow for you to change seats." The long haired teacher spoke as he turned towards the board, with a marker in hand. "Ok class. I trust you have all completed your homework?"

"Homework? What homework?" half of the class mumbled as they stared at their teacher with wide eyes. "I don't remember us getting any science homework."

"The homework I was referring to, were pages 36-48 that I had asked you to read and the exercises for you to complete." He spoke as he continued to write down the day's lesson.

"Oh…that homework." A boy recalled as he fumbled with his bag. "Dude…that was like a week ago…" he whispered over to the person beside him.

"Maybe he's getting old." He snickered, unaware that their teacher had actually heard.

"Michael, perhaps you'd like to do a re-cap for us? Hmm?" Vexen turned around and stared at the boy who referred to him as 'old' with cold eyes.

Michael froze and jolted in his seat. "Y-yes sir!" His voice cracked as he scuffled through his bag for his science book. Their teacher had that affect on everyone. Almost everyone.

"By re-cap, I meant by what you can remember." He raised his eyebrow in question, clearly enjoying his little torment on poor Michael.

"Err…Erm…I don't remember?" he made a face that said 'I'm gonna piss in my pants soon…'

"Fine, fine. Perhaps you'd do well to keep silent next time." He turned back to the board and continued to write down the day's tasks. "After all, guilty people often speak first."

"Y-yes sir." He sank back into his seat, glad that his spotlight was finally over, although his cheeks were still stained with red from embarrassment.

"Phew, glad I'm not him." Axel spoke as he leaned closer to Roxas. "I mean, who would remember homework that was given a week ago?"

"Speak for yourself. I finished mine on the night it was given." Roxas quirked up an eyebrow as he flipped open his science text book to the pages that were indicated on the white board.

"You are a complete nerd." He mocked and gave the blond a poke on the shoulder.

"I rather have it over and done with than to have it wait till later." He reasoned as he took out his other science work book.

"Right, right. As I was saying, you're a complete nerd." He smirked.

* * *

When the bell rang, every body was more than happy to escape the confines of the science lab/classroom. Especially Michael, who was the first to run out to avoid further embarrassment.

Roxas stayed behind to take down the last notes on the board before packing up his books. He hadn't noticed that Axel was still there until he spoke.

"Yup, you're always the last to leave the room. Of course, I hadn't known you then." He clicked his tongue and scratched his cheek. "I've always thought you were a bit of a nerd. Although you don't look it."

"Well, sorry for wanting to learn and pass the grade." He scoffed as he placed the last of his books into his bag and stood up.

"You're totally missing out on life. Staying cooped up in your room, doing all your homework and shit."

"I don't tolerate foul language Axel." Their teacher growled as he rubbed off the words on the white board. "You'd do well to watch your mouth."

"Yes sir." He rolled his eyes and waved the comment off, not at all threatened by Vexen. "As I was saying, don't you ever wanna do something other than study and be a good boy?" he spoke as he followed the blond out ignoring the icy glance from their teacher.

"I balance my life with friends and school." He spoke as he waved to one of his friends before turning the corner.

"That's what you say, but to me, you look like you're all work and no play." He chuckled as he turned the corner.

"And _you_ look like you're all play and no work." He countered as he walked up to his locker. Turning the dial for his combination before pulling it open.

"Roxas, Roxas, Roxas." He shook his head in disbelief. "I am not what you say."

"Oh? Enlighten me then." He smirked as he pulled out his books and replaced it with his English books and computer texts books.

"There has to be a balance in life. You can't have all play and no work, nor all work and no play."

The blond sighed as he closed the door to his locker and zipped up his bag before swinging it over his shoulder. "So what are you trying to say exactly?"

"What I'm saying, is that you gotta go out there and _live_ the life!"

"That sounds a lot like 'all play and no work'."

"See? You always think to the extreme. What I'm trying to say is that you gotta make time for the small things in life. Live it at its moment. Don't let it slip pass."

"I can always make time to enjoy the small things tomorrow."

"Roxas. You're living your life as though there's gonna be a tomorrow." He chuckled and gave a poke on the blonds' shirt.

"Axel. You live as though there's no tomorrow." He countered again, earning a laugh from the red head.

"I suppose you got me there." He ran his fingers through his hair before turning back to the blond with a serious face. "But think about it. There's no way to predict the future."

Roxas suddenly felt as though Axel changed into a completely different person within a span of one second.

"What if there's no tomorrow? And today is your last day? How are you gonna fit in all the things that you've always wanted to do in one day?" he leaned on the locker next to the blonds' and stared at the floor. "There's no way for you to do that. Sure I may be all play and no work. But I wanna live my life with no regrets." He spoke thoughtfully before returning his gaze to Roxas.

"There might be a tomorrow. There might not be a tomorrow. Maybe you'll live to next year, maybe ten years. Or even twenty. But who knows for sure? All I can say is, live today to its fullest." He smiled and began to walk away. "Catch ya later Roxy."

Roxas continued to stand rooted to the spot, his mind mulling over the red head's words. Although he would never admit it to Axel, he really had a point. But before he would thank the red head for expanding his knowledge, he just had to shout back, "Hey! You said you wouldn't call me Roxy again!" earning a laugh from Axel.

"Yeah, I said that. But that promise is only limited to the confines of the math's classroom."

"Cheater!!" he shouted back with a smile on his face.

"It ain't cheating, you just failed to specify that I was never to call you Roxy ever again." His laugh rang through the hallways and Roxas continued to smile at the red head who threw back a wave without turning around.

* * *

When interval was over, he was a little disappointed that the red head was no where in sight when he entered his third period class.

As he sat down on his regular seat, his teacher walked into the classroom, making the students either freeze up in terror or admiration.

Terror being from the boys (except for a few) and admiration from all of the girls. It does seem as though the only reason the girls took the subject was to see Vincent.

"He's so cool…too bad he's a teacher though." A girl sighed as she rested her cheek on her open palm.

"Makes him even more awesome." The girl beside her squealed "Because he's unattainable." She whispered and the other girl would nod her head feverishly in agreement.

'Girls, I can never understand them.' He rolled his eyes as he took out his textbooks.

Their teacher, Vincent Valentine was indeed one of the scariest teachers on the staff. His stare would make a computer go from being impossible to submissive. His fingers were swift and precise and he never made any mistakes. And if there was a problem, he was quick to fix the flaw.

There had been rumors going around that Vincent was a former hacker turned teacher. But that's just a rumor and nobody found out the actual truth.

But then again, his sense of fashion and anonymity could say otherwise.

He stood in front of the class. His presence demanded every attention. And as he took a step back, he made a quick turn and brought up a marker pen to the board.

'Was he even holding that before?' Roxas thought to himself as he watched their teacher.

He quickly scribbled down the word 'HTML' and then turned back to the class. Eyeing the students before speaking. "Student project. Make your own website."

He wasn't a big talker. He was more of a person who liked to express everything with action, or writing A.K.A typing.

"You have two weeks and this counts towards 30 of your final grade."

"What?! Two weeks?!" a boy exclaimed.

"30?!" came from another boy.

This caused Vincent to turn his gaze to the two students, making them quickly shut their mouths and sit back down. After the silence continued in the room for another minute, he spoke again. "This is not a difficult task to complete."

'Says a computer expert…' Roxas thought dryly.

"This task will be carried out individually, and if there is any form of plagiarism, the consequences will be dire." He spoke as he walked over to his table and pick up a pile of papers. "Consequences which may include, failing the project, failing the subject and failing the whole year." He spoke calmly as he walked to each student and handed out the papers.

The class was silent with fear. The girls began to seriously doubt their appreciation for their 'cool' teacher.

"You will be given class time to proceed with the project. You will not ask nor give any information to anybody except to me." After handing out a paper to the last student, he returned to his desk. "I expect you to do the regular procedures of any work to be done. That is, I want a record of what you did and when you did it. And I expect you to have a detailed record of every step you took towards your website."

So much for not being a big talker…

"The website itself counts only 10 of the 30 and the rest will come from your planning and record keeping." He spoke calmly, a little happy that he grabbed the attention of the whole class. "That, of course, doesn't mean that the two are separate. If you fail one part, you fail the whole of it. There will be a re-sit opportunity, but I will not be so lenient the second time." He finally closed his eyes and took a seat.

"That's all I have to say. You may begin."

"So much for cool. Now he's just plain scary." A girl whispered to her other friend as she turned and switched on her computer.

"I'm scared. Do you think I could change to a different class?" the girl beside her whispered.

"There's no way you're gonna leave me behind." She whispered harshly as she waited for the computer to finish its start-up.

"This is so not fun." She complained.

'Ok, first. They think he's so cool and now they think he's scary. I will _never_ understand girls.' He rolled his eyes as he began his rough plan of his website.

* * *

Lol. That was awesome. I had not anticipated for Vincent to be the computer teacher. Lol. But I needed someone, and I don't know, he seemed to fit the part. It was cool to write out his dialogue too. Damn he's a toughy. Lol. 


	8. Of Dreams and Promises

He had always led the normal teenager life. He had good friends, a good family, good grades and a good school. But when you suddenly add in an unknown factor, everything changes. For better or for worse. Roxas x Axel.

I'm sick and I'm hungry…(Sniffs…) Ugh…Food…Need Food…

pride1289 – Lol, I would absolutely agree with you. I'd end up going…'Sigh…isn't he dreamy?' Lol. Yup, yup! That'll be me alright! Anyways, for the human verification thing…three words. What the hell?

Aryna.Tahashi – Lol, it just makes Axel more interesting. Muahahhaa!

TheDarkTraveller – Yay! I'm so happy that you enjoyed reading them! I do somewhat think that my first pirate's story is a bit of a let down, but I'm happy that you enjoyed reading it.

Crazydrawinggirl – Lol! You're the second person to say that Axel is being serious. Come on, it's interesting!! Say it with me! It's interesting! Got it memorized?

Launch shinra – Poor Sora, clumsy Sora. Hyper Sora…But we all love him just the same. Lol. I'm glad the other chapters are up to your standards too!

Dark Firesong – Lol, who knows? Maybe somebody's cat or dog keeps on banning them because of the constant punching in random keys at the keyboard? But heck, I wouldn't know. Lol. I think Vincent is cool regardless…(Drools…) Them girls don't know nothin'!

Ranchdressing – (Nods, nods) I makes Axel interesting that way. That's what I think anyways. Lol.

(Think of Sandy's accent from Spongebob Squarepants. It sounds funnier that way!) Thank y'all for the reviews! They make me all cheery like a hog in a mud bath! Don't ch'all agree? Keep on readin' now, ya hear?!

* * *

Roxas sighed as he exited the computer lab and walked down the crowded hallways towards his next class. He had managed to finish two detailed pages for his website. Thoroughly explaining what links led to what and how the webpage was displayed and why.

"It must be done in such a way that it will attract the eyes of the viewer." Wise words spoken from their teacher, Vincent.

Roxas sighed again as he turned the corner and continued his way to English class. He dreaded going there. Mainly because it's the only class where he and all of his friends had together. And considering the argument he and Hayner had that morning, he wasn't sure if he was ready to see him just yet.

When his eyes settled on a certain someone, he couldn't help but feel a bit of remorse when he saw him.

"Hayner, about this morning-" he began but was shortly cut off.

"Whatever." The dirty blond boy shook his head and walked into the classroom, intent on ignoring Roxas.

The blond remained outside, unsure on whether he should enter or not. If he entered, the atmosphere would be thick between the two. Not only that, he was unsure if he should sit at the same place.

How convenient that his seat was next to Hayner's.

It was unlikely for their friendship to plummet due to an argument. But he felt as though this was something more, something bigger. Which meant it would take Hayner a long time to get over it.

This wasn't like the time that they had fought about Seifer. How Hayner misunderstood Roxas when he saw him talk to his arch-enemy Seifer. This time was different. Completely and utterly different. Making Roxas unsure of how to deal with this predicament.

He was-

"Standing around isn't gonna get you anywhere Rox." A certain red head spoke from behind the said blond.

"Huh? Oh hey Axel." He turned around to face the red head. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me you've got a class with me again."

"Your excitement is infectious." He spoke sarcastically. "For all _I_ know, you could be the one who's in all of _my_ classes. Hah! Take that." He shoved a finger in the blonds' direction accusingly as he eyed the blond.

"Right." He spoke dryly.

"So what are you doing out here anyways?" he looked over the blond and saw their teacher coming.

"I have a bit of a problem." He shifted his eyes towards the door unintentionally.

"Hmm?" he noticed the sudden shift, and moved to poke his head through the doorway. Eventually, his eyes finally rested upon a certain boy he saw this morning and an empty seat.

"Ah, I see your problem." He returned to his normal position and smirked. "And I have the remedy to your situation."

"And what would that be? Pray tell." He rolled his eyes at the red head.

"You can sit by me!" he gave himself a pat on the back as he pushed the blond into the classroom and directed him to the back who protested and shouted back, "Hey!"

Roxas caught the attention of his friends and his brother as he was forced to the seat at the back. He and Hayner exchanged looks for a mere moment before the dirty blond turned away and scowled.

"Welcome to our row of emo-dudes." Axel greeted as he took the seat next to Roxas, swinging an arm over the blonds' shoulder and introducing him to the other 'emo-dudes'.

"This anti-social here is named Zexion. You may find him reading a book at any time of day, and if you don't see him with a book. The world may be crumbling right beneath our feet." He joked, earning a scoff from the said person.

"This blond dude with a mullet slash mohawk is named Demyx. He's a musician slash swimmer." The blond greeted cheerfully and even shook Roxas' hand. "Between you and me, he's not much of a swimmer but he's got the hots for a certain someone in the swim team, much to the dismay of another. (Cough) Zexion (Cough)" He covered his mouth in an attempt to cover up what he was trying to say to Roxas who gave him a surprised look and replied with, "As if I needed to know that?"

"This pirate over here is named Xigbar. And despite the way he talks and looks, he's actually a pretty smart person once you get to know him." He lowered his voice to a whisper again. "Rumor has it that he and Vincent often share the odd moment of target practice. But that's just a rumor and he would neither confirm nor deny it." He shrugged and Roxas would reply, "Then doesn't that mean it's confirmed?"

"Who knows kid." He released his hold on the blond and relaxed in his seat. "There's a few more to our group, but they're in another English class. Oh well. Maybe next time."

"Alright class. I hope you're assignments are going well. If there are any problems at all, please feel free to ask me ok?" their teacher, Aerith, spoke as she looked at her students. "We'll use today's lesson for our essays. That way it'll give everybody an equal chance of passing."

It wasn't a matter of writing technique that bothered Roxas. It was more of being stuck in a writer's block that got him peeved and it looked apparent according to Axel.

"Yo Rox. What got shoved up your ass?"

"Your choice of words baffles me." He scoffed.

"What? Surely a nerd like you would be finished by now."

"I finished one, but it was over the quota limit." He started and was about to go into an all out speech about his writer's block and his other essay when their teacher stepped in.

"Ok class, Olette just came up to me and asked me about the word count. I had said that if it was over the stated amount, I wouldn't accept it. But I'm willing to disregard what I said earlier if it is a big concern. Especially since a few other students already came up to me and said their word count reached over 2500." She smiled happily at her hard working students and returned back to help the next student.

He exchanged looks with Olette who smiled and waved back before returning to her seat.

"Looks like your problem is fixed. How much did you write out anyways?" Axel cracked his neck and fingers as he spoke.

"I'd say 3500 or so." He sighed in relief, he could hand in his first essay and not worry about his second. He wasn't sure if he could finish it before the week finishes.

"Holy shit. What are you writing? A book?!" Axel exclaimed, earning himself the looks and stares from the class.

"Axel. Please watch your language." Aerith frowned as he furrowed her delicate eyebrows.

"Sorry ma'am." He raised an arm in apology and Aerith smiled in returned before turning back to the student who asked for help. "You _are_ a nerd!!" he whispered harshly. "I can feel my world crashing before my eyes!" he exaggerated by slapping both of his cheeks.

"Axel…me being a nerd has nothing to do with your life." He raised an eyebrow as he watched the red head breath in and out while Demyx rubbed his back sympathetically. "Breath Axel! Breath!"

"Yeah I know, just wanted to be dramatic." He smirked, making Roxas roll his eyes at the stupidity.

"It's not that hard. It just depends on the fountain of imagination and creativity from the person." Roxas reasoned as he took out his notebook.

"So says the nerd." He leaned back on his chair and realized what the blond had meant. "Hold it. Are you saying that I lack creativity and imagination?" he accused while Demyx snickered.

"Of course not. It takes a lot of creativity and imagination to make the same color look good everyday of the week."

"Ok, now I just don't know whether you mean it or if you were being sarcastic."

"Take a guess."

"Ehh…nope. I got na-da." He smiled as Roxas gave him the look that said 'You gotta be kidding me…'

"Anyways, how're you going with your essay?" the blond asked, noticing the sudden slack in mood from the red head.

"Err…I haven't started yet?"

"What? You're just about as lazy as my brother." And just as he said that, a sneeze was heard from the brunet. "Do you need any help?"

A little taken aback by the offer, he was about to accept when Demyx decided to butt in. "Hey hey! I need help too!!" he shouted out enthusiastically, waving his hand about.

"Hey! Roxas was asking me!" Axel shouted.

"No way, he said 'you', which can be implied to anybody." He exaggerated by making a big motion with his hands.

"Hell no, the question was directed to me. ME!!" he poked his own chest for emphasis.

"If you want…I can help you both." Roxas offered.

"Really? Sweet!" Demyx exclaimed happily then turned to his friend sitting beside him. "What about you Zex? Do you need help too?"

"Hello no! I want Roxas all to myself." Axel shouted out, a few pairs of eyes on him. "You hogger." Demyx joked.

"I've finished mine." Zexion replied as he opened to a bookmarked page of his book.

"Can you help me then? Axel won't share." The blond started to pout and give the puppy dog eyes to the silver haired boy while the red head replied with,"Axel NEVER shares!"

"Sure." He managed to keep his face straight but he was having a small amount of difficulty suppressing the upcoming pinkness of his cheeks.

"Yay!" he waved his hands up in the air and settled back down. "Hey Zex. You ok? You don't look so good." He asked, catching the redness on the said person's cheek.

"I'm fine." He coughed and placed his book down. "Any ideas for your essay?" Demyx started giving a lot of examples, but none of them were consistent…

"Ok, now that I have you all to myself. Start helping." Axel demanded.

"This is 'your' essay."

"What? But you said you were gonna help." He whined.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna do everything for you." He rolled his eyes as he turned to a new page. "I'll help you along the way though."

"Ok then." He felt a little cheated.

"So, anything on your mind?" pencil poised to take down Axel's every word.

"You." Except that.

"Seriously Axel." He sighed at his friend's childishness.

"Alright, alright. Lemme think for a minute."

"I'll give you thirty seconds."

"Talk about pressure with a capital 'P'."

"Tick, tock, tick, tock…" he tapped on his own watch for emphasis.

"Just gimme a while ok?" he huffed before closing his eyes to think for a moment.

During the time that Axel was thinking, Roxas turned to his previous page and continued to write out unfinished second essay. And just as he was about to turn to the next page, a single word was heard from the red head.

"Promise."

This caused Roxas to freeze mid-way of turning to a new page. His eyes widened and the fingers that were holding onto the pencil grew slack and would've fallen to the notebook had he not finally come back to his senses.

"What?"

"A promise. I wanna write about a promise that I made from a dream." He spoke softly, a little too out of character, making the blond shift uncomfortably.

It was coincidental, a little far too coincidental. 'What if…' He shook the thought of it away. Everybody dreams about promises. He is no different.

But he couldn't help but wonder…

* * *

Nuh-uh. No way did Axel just cut me off while I was narrating! Goddammit Axel! You're gonna pay! (Takes out a pair of scissors.)

P.S – I had the strong urge to play Kingdom Hearts II again…but I don't have the game…Tis a pity…


	9. Distractions

He had always led the normal teenager life. He had good friends, a good family, good grades and a good school. But when you suddenly add in an unknown factor, everything changes. For better or for worse. Roxas x Axel.

It's late and I can't sleep…

Crazydrawinggirl – Lol, good on ya mate!

s2 shounen ai – Lol, yay a new reviewer! Thanks for the review dude.

Aryna.Tahashi – Hehe, I cannot and WILL not reveal any spoilers…Muahahhaa…Don't worry, I say 'it's all fine and dandy' sometimes too.

pride1289 – Lol, I find Mulan's world is the best place to train up with drive forms. Have a play around the palace, I love that place.

Launch shinra – I know! My classes have only a maximum of two emo's…they always seem to come in pairs or more. Lol. But it's cool. It shows that they look out for each other. Sweet as. I'm a Zemyx supporter too. Zemyx all ze way!!! Ok, probably only half way. I still like Akuroku more.

Dark Firesong – You bought the game at $10?! What?! WHAT?! This country sells it for a bloody $120!! Fuck?! FUCK?! Looking at the price tag seriously burns a hole in my wallet. Lol, burns a hole in my wallet. Lol.

Ranchdressing – Oh what the fuck? Dude, that's bad…I borrow games all the time, but I end up returning them after about six months. Lol. Charge her! Or better yet…charge her double the price! BWAHHAHAA!

bubblegum head – Lol. Really? I still think it's a little lagging behind. But if you say so!

* * *

Frustratingly, English period ended a bit too quickly. He wanted to find out more about this 'promise', no…He _needed_ to find out more.

The more Axel talked about his dream of promises, the more he connected it with his own dream.

He remembered flashes of it as he wrote down word for word of what the red head said. And as he continued to listen and write, the more he seemed to confuse it with his own dream.

'Are they even separate anymore?' were the blonds' thoughts as he stopped writing the moment Axel stopped speaking.

The more Axel spoke, the more flashes of red he sees. And suddenly, he reverts to the last dream he had.

Where he almost saw him, whoever he was. It was so blurry, yet so clear. As though he was right in front of him, but he was so bright, his vision blurred.

The glimpse of red hair and saddened green eyes. How he was covered in darkness, while he himself was illuminated in light. Separate, yet whole.

'Is he the one from my dream?'

"Yo Roxy. You ok?" Axel's words brought him back to the world of the living.

"Huh?" he snapped his head towards the red head, and his neck cracked due to the speed of it. He brought his hand up to massage it. "Yeah, I'm fine. What were you saying? I lost you."

He chuckled and pointed to the locker beside him. "Your locker?"

"Oh right." He couldn't remember ever leaving his classroom. When did he stop writing and when did _he_ stop talking? His mind had been going over Axel's words. His mind repeating it like a broken record. He couldn't remember anything that happened between leaving class and arriving at his locker.

He shook his head and proceeded to take out his books and placing it in his locker before taking out his gear for his next period class. Which was Physical Education.

Something was telling him that he's gonna get himself knocked on the head. Why? Because he kept on going back and forth from the world of the living and the realm of dreams.

Once he closed his locker door, Axel began leading him towards the direction of the cafeteria. But before they reached the cafeteria, the red head took a turn towards a different direction.

"Weren't we going to the cafeteria?"

"Later, later. We're gonna go to our 'emo-spot'." He quoted.

"Right." He eyed the red head suspiciously who laughed.

"Chill, I'll introduce you to a few more people in our 'emo-group'." He spoke as he continued to lead the way towards the grassy area of the school. Not many people come here. Mainly because they stare at everybody into leaving.

So as they walked through the doors, a certain group that were sitting on the grass, under the tree and chatting away came into view. There was Demyx hanging around Zexion who was reading a book. Xigbar who managed to get himself up the tree while the blonde girl was arguing to the boy with the pink hair while the guy with blue hair stared into the sky.

"Yo Axel. Who's the little twerp?" a blonde girl shouted out when she noticed the two coming.

"This little guy here is named Roxas." He gave the blond a slight nudge who looked a little put-off at the nickname 'twerp'. "Ok Rox. That girl who just called you 'twerp' is named Larxene. She's got a pretty bitchy personality. So watch out." She gave him an evil smirk in return. "The guy with the pink hair-"

"It's not pink!!" the boy with the oddly colored hair shouted back.

"Oh yeah, and my hair's not red." He scoffed and returned back to the introductions. "I think he's gay but he's actually going out with Larxene over there. Only God knows why." Axel received a rock to the head. Courtesy of the blonde girl. Whether the rock was thrown at him because of the 'gay' comment or because that somebody was actually dating her, he did not know. But he guessed it could be a bit of both.

"Youch man! Watch what you throw." He gingerly rubbed the part where the rock collided with and continued on. "And that guy with the blue hair is named Sai'x. Don't worry about his face, it's been there since who knows when." And then he lowered his voice to a whisper. "He's got a freaky sense of hearing and he thinks he's part wolf."

"I like the full moon…" he gazed at the two of them before returning to look up at the sky. "Two more nights till the moon reaches it's most beautiful state."

Roxas followed his view and he could just barely see the moon in the sky and images of the blue haired boy turning into a wolf suddenly came into his mind. He shook away the thought. 'Ok…that was freaky.'

"Ok, I got some rules I wanna share." The red head spoke as he held up two fingers. "Two simple rules."

"What rules?" Larxene asked as she quirked up an eyebrow.

He held up one finger, "Rule one, Roxas is mine. So you no touchy." And waved the finger around.

"What?" the blond asked defiantly.

"Rule two." He paused, still holding up two fingers. "Ok, I lost rule number two, so I'll just repeat rule one. Roxas is mine, so you no touchy." This earned him a kick to the skin.

"Oww! What the fuck Roxas?!" he jumped up on one foot and rubbed his injured shin while Larxene and Marluxia laughed at his misfortune.

"Since when was I yours?!" he yelled out before giving him a smack on the back of his head. Xigbar Started to laugh at the dance that Axel was performing. Then laughed a little too hard and fell out of the tree and landed with a grassy thump.

* * *

When their lunch break was almost over, Roxas made his way towards his locker, insisting that he forgot something but what he was really doing was giving Axel the silent treatment after the 'Roxas is mine' incident.

Who in their right mind would 'claim' a person whom they've only _just_ befriended? Roxas had never known anybody like that, until today that is.

He sighed aggravatedly as he turned the corner and came across a fairly angry looking Hayner, to say the least.

"Sup Hay-" he tried to break the death glare the dirty blond boy was giving, but alas…

"So what? You think you're too good to hang around us now?" he crossed his arms and stood defiantly in front of Roxas.

"Say what?"

"We were waiting for you during lunch. For the _whole_ entire lunch." He nudged his head towards Olette and Pence who waved back nervously.

"I never asked you to wait for me."

"We're your friends, obviously we'd wait." He reasoned.

"I'm sure Olette and Pence would wait, but what about you?"

"What are you trying to say?" he frowned as he raised his head slightly.

"You're never the one for patience." It was meant as a joke but Hayner took it the wrong way obviously.

"Oh, I see how it is."

"What now…" he sighed again.

"You think you're 'all that'. Meeting new people and making a scene." His face darkened considerably as he gave a hard poke to Roxas' shoulder.

"I'm not the one making a scene here. You are. I mean, just because I don't hang out with you for one day, doesn't mean I've totally ditched you." Roxas argued as he adjusted his bag.

"Well it seems obvious that you're going to now." The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break.

"Yeah, only because you're being a total jerk-off right now." He took a side step from the dirty blond and began his walk towards next period. "Later Hayner."

"Whatever."

As Roxas walked past Olette and Pence, the brunette reached out for the blonds' arm. "Roxas, please."

"It's just one of those days." He spoke as he lowered his head to the floor. "We'll be ok. Sooner or later." He cracked a smile and waved to them before walking towards the gym again.

His mind was in chaos as he continued walking absentmindedly, occasionally apologizing when he bumped into people but walked at a slow, leisurely pace.

"Yo…"

"Not now Axel." He refused to look at the red head as he turned another corner towards the gym.

"I saw what happened." He spoke as he walked beside the blond, his hands in his pockets.

"I said, not now." He sighed and pushed open the doors to the boys' changing room.

What would normally take him less than minutes of changing time, took him a little over ten minutes this time. His mind occasionally wandering off and going back to the surreal argument he and Hayner just had. He would pause mid-way of putting his shirt on, pause mid-way of tying up his shoe laces, pause mid-way of closing his gym locker. Causing a cause for concern for the red head who was in the same period again.

'No…I'm not mentally undressing him.' Axel thought to himself as he caught himself almost drooling at Roxas' bare back when the blond paused mid-way of putting his shirt on. 'He's already half undressed.' He smirked before he mentally smacked himself on the head for thinking something like that.

'Oh damn…look at that ass…' he thought to himself when he saw Roxas bent over to tie his shoe laces. He gulped when he noticed a bit of saliva had built up in his mouth. He even tilted his head slightly to get a better view. He whistled in his head. 'Nice ass…'

In the middle of his thoughts, Roxas appeared in front of him.

"What the fuck?! When did you get there?" Axel shouted as he hurriedly squashed in his clothes into his own locker.

"I've been telling you to hurry up for like a minute now." He quirked up and eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest.

"Ok, ok. Let's go." He closed his locker and started to walk out of the changing rooms.

"Where do you think you're going?" Axel turned around to see a smirking blond.

"To the gym. Duh."

"You're not gonna get very far dressed like that." He pointed out and Axel followed where the blond was pointing and noticed he was still in his boxers.

"Oh fuck!" he swore and walked back to his locker and forced it open. "Dammit, I got distracted." He reasoned.

"By what?" he laughed and sat down on the bleachers.

"More like who." an image of a half-dressed Roxas came into mind, making him pause mid-way of getting changed.

"Anyways, I'm gonna head out first." He spoke as he stood up and began walking away.

"Hey, hey! Wait up a second, would ya?!" Axel shouted as he quickly got changed and slammed his locker shut before running to join the blond.

They didn't miss out much while they were taking their sweet time changing. The class had to run two laps around the field. They only had to run one. And it was assumed that today's class would be on soccer. Hints and tips coming from the soccer balls and the goals posts that were put up on either side of the field.

The whistle blew and the class gathered around two teachers. Two tall men, although one was a bit shorter than the other stood in front of the students, each with a soccer ball in hand. The teacher with dreadlocks and horrible side burns began his thundering on rules and teams.

"Mr. Lexaeus' class will split in half as will mine. Evenly! I'll give you three minutes to do this by yourselves but if you're not ready by then, I'll split you up myself!" he roared before he blew the whistle again. The two classes quickly argued amongst themselves on which team to be on, but eventually they made up their minds and they ended up being in four teams altogether.

Although the teams were a bit uneven…

He sighed and rubbed his temples while Lexaeus remained calm. "Ok, I appreciate your efforts, but it seems as though you do not understand the meaning of 'even' teams." He walked towards the four teams and pointed to who should join another team and who needs to be pushed to another.

Due to the fact that one team had too many girls and another team had far too many boys, something must be done. Why? Because one team wouldn't play and scream whenever a ball came near while the other team would end up tackling one another to get the ball on their side.

Total and utter chaos would ensue if the teams remained the way they were. Thus…divine intervention from the teacher.

"Ok, now that the teams are even enough, Mr. Lexaeus will explain the rules for soccer." He took a step back and the other tall man stepped forward.

"…Play nice…" He stepped back to where he was and continued to look calm while Xaldin looked a little deterred by the teacher's 'rule book'. Somewhere a kid started laughing.

Xaldin coughed once and decided to explain the rules himself. "Ok, at least one goal from a female team member." Making both the girls and the boys groan in defeat.

"No tackling, no rough-housing. This is a friendly match."

Already twenty minutes of the class has gone by and the period hasn't even started yet. Oh joy.

He whistled and threw a ball to a team while Lexaeus did the same. "Game start!"

* * *

I drank some (cough) 5 percent alcohol just now, and my head feels…like its pounding. Lol. But it's not the horrible hang-over kind of pounding, it's more like the ba-bum ba-bum of the heart kind of pounding. Ya get me?

Aye! Review me hearties, yo ho!


	10. Walking and Falling

He had always led the normal teenager life. He had good friends, a good family, good grades and a good school. But when you suddenly add in an unknown factor, everything changes. For better or for worse. Roxas x Axel.

Woot! Double digits! The big One-Oh!! Oh yeah!! High five everybody!! (The sound of crickets fills the air.) Ok then…never mind.

I'm allergic to cats…And it doesn't help that there's five of them downstairs.

LupinandHarry – Lol. It's his trademark catch phrase. If anybody said that in real life, I'd be like "Where's Axel?!" Hehe. I feel sad for Hayner, but he _did_ seem like a jerk in the game anwyays. Lol. And I agree, Sora _is_ hot! But not as hot as Axel…Drool…

Marie-sama – Woot! I'm glad this story meets your expectations!

0jadecat0 – Aww! You're the first reviewer who's told me that you've downloaded every song that Axel recommended! That's so freaking awesome! You've made my day.

Launch shinra – Lol, opps! I didn't mean to halt your studies. Bad author, bad! But I'm absolutely positively happy that you find the last chapter so good that it deserved a 'BRAVO'! Hayner _is_ a bit of an ass sometimes, but he don't mean it. Lol. I think…And I would absolutely LOVE it if somebody (cough) Axel (cough) was my P.E teacher. Hehe…

pride1289 – Ooo, sounds like a very interesting game! No idea what game it is though. Lol.

Aryna.Tahashi – Lol, I'm sorry my dear. Not much action yet. Hehe…But it's so completely true about the running and the screaming thing about girls…It's only because the girls in my class are like that and it's so bloody annoying. Gosh. It's not like it'll jump up and bite their pretty heads off. Lol. It'll be better if they THINK that it's gonna bite them and maybe they'll kick it away! Lol.

TheDarkTraveller – I personally think Roxas is in denial. Lol. But he's funny like that.

Ranchdressing - Say what?! It's only _one_ bottle that contains 5 percent alcohol! Not 5 bottles if that's what you mistook it for. Lol. Anyways, it's been sitting in the fridge for months, probably expired so I decided to help the greater good by drinking it myself. Lol.

Dark Firesong – What?! It was on sale?! Dude! So freaking unfair. Lol. I live in like….the southern hemisphere on that little three piece island called New Zealand close to Australia. The inflation here is fucking crazy. Everything is like four times the fucking price or whatever. Lol. The cheapest the game will get should be around about $60, its half price, but still bloody expensive. Lol…

I dedicate this chapter to all my fellow reviewers who's made my life so filled with joy and happiness. Your reviews make my day so much more better and I couldn't have gotten this far without your words of encouragement. To 0jadecat0 for giving me the longest chapter review ever! To Launch shinra because this lovely reviewer needs a break from the dreaded exam angst! To Aryna.Tahashi who sees things in my point of view. Your reviews are hilarious! And to the many others who I've failed to include because my rants are getting too long. So on with the story!!!

Thank you all!! Thank you!! (Bows.)

* * *

"_Game start!"_

The soccer game wasn't very fierce but when you have Seifer and his goons in the other team, they tend to give a problem.

The teacher should've known by now that the three spell trouble. But he still kept them together for who knows what reason.

"Hey Roxas! I'm free!" the boy that had been laughing previously shouted while waving an arm around. The blond looked over towards Tidus and kicked the ball over to him. "Whoo! Nice kick!" he shouted as he made soft contact with the ball and rushed towards the goal where the guy from Seifer's gang was guarding.

Rai was smirking as he had his arms outstretched ready to punch and/or kick the ball away from his duty.

Unfortunately, he forgot to take into account that Tidus was a star player of the Blitz team for soccer.

But it's a lesson that he'll soon learn.

Tidus got himself close enough to the goal and made his kick. The ball made a 'whoosh' noise as it zoomed past Rai's head into the netting. He just barely registered that the little punk made a goal.

"Yes! In your face!!" the dirty blond boy shouted as he did his victory dance. Occasionally giving high-fives to another team member and accepting praise with both hands on his hips.

"Good score Tidus." Roxas gave the said boy a sharp pat on the back.

"Nah, thanks for the awesome kick." He smiled and pulled the blond down for a knuckle bashing on the head.

"Ouch man, quit it!" he spoke in between laughs.

Rai scowled to himself and looked over towards Seifer. He nudged his beanie wearing head towards the group and smirked. Rai got the idea and picked up the ball before dropping it to the ground. Letting it bounce once then kicked it.

The ball flew over towards the group and managed to get Roxas on his forehead. And as the blond fell to the ground, he heard the faint noises of people calling out his name and a blur of red.

"Oh shit! Roxas are you ok?" Axel shouted as he kneeled down by Roxas' limp body on the grass. He gingerly reached out for his face and checked if he was bleeding. "Roxas! Can you hear me?" he spoke softly as he furrowed his eyebrows then turned and glared at Rai. "You fucker…"

"What the fuck is your problem?!" Tidus shouted as he ran up towards Rai and tackled him to the ground.

"Hey, I was only kicking the ball back for the game, ya know? Ain't my fault it got the stupid blond, ya know?" Rai reasoned as he held up his hands to protect his face.

"Son of a bitch!" he was about to punch him when a strong hand grabbed his arm.

"What's wrong…?" Lexaeus asked as he pulled Tidus to his feet.

"He hit Roxas on purpose!" he jabbed a finger towards Rai as he picked himself off the ground with the help of a silver haired girl.

"Bug off. It's your fault for getting so high up. The game should've continued once you scored that lame goal." Seifer folded his arms and looked down on Tidus who was fuming.

"I know you did it on purpose. You guys always have a motive. You just couldn't handle the fact that we got a goal before you did."

"Pssh. Whatever. You think so highly of yourself just because you're in the school's soccer team."

Tidus was about to launch himself and punch Seifer right in the face but Lexaeus was still holding onto his shoulder.

The tall man sighed and looked over towards the fallen boy. Xaldin was talking to his other students, trying to get their side of the story, but it seemed as though it was somewhat biased. He eventually waved it off and asked for someone to take Roxas to the nurse.

"I'll do it." Axel volunteered as he picked up Roxas from the grass and began his walk towards the building where the nurse was located.

Tidus watched as the tall red head took away his friend, unsure of whether he should trust him or not, but for now, he's got another problem at hand.

"One day, karma is gonna get back to you." he sneered as he gently shrugged off Lexaeus' hand.

"I don't believe in that shit." He scoffed off the comment and walked away, with Rai and Fuu in tow.

"That's right, we don't believe in that shit. Ya know?!" Rai smirked.

"Likewise." She nodded, not even sparing them a glance.

Tidus' anger continued to grow as they walked away, and then eventually he turned his anger towards the teacher. "So what?! You're just gonna let them off the hook?!" he shouted as he turned and glared at them.

"Of course not…both you and Rai will receive detention." Xaldin spoke as he looked at his watch.

"What? Why?!" Tidus shouted, his voice cracking in defiance.

"Rai for causing a casualty and you for profound swearing."

"Wh-But I-It's-" he sputtered, trying to find a reason of why he shouldn't get the detention, but none came. Then he threw up his hands in aggravation. "Fine! As long as Rai gets punished too." Then he resorted to pouting and crossing his arms.

* * *

_Roxas found himself in that same place again. In the darkness, with only the small amount of light surrounding him. Keeping the dark at bay. Keeping the dark from swallowing him whole._

"_Hello?" he raised his voice and took a step forward. After receiving no reply, he took another look around, in hopes that he'll see somebody familiar._

_This dream was much different from his previous dreams. All his other dreams involved him falling. And all of them, his actions and thoughts were something he could only barely grasp. As though he didn't think before he spoke, but it still turned out ok._

"_Hello?" he looked up and saw nothing but darkness. "Ok then…" he started walking. To where? He did not know. But he knew that standing around wouldn't help._

"_Axel? Are you here?" he asked, half expecting a reply. But he was still disappointed when he didn't hear his voice. He sighed, "I'm alone…" and continued walking._

_After walking what seemed like half an hour to him, he began to wonder why he was here again. Wondering why there wasn't another voice. He didn't care if it wasn't Axel. As long as someone talked to him, he didn't mind who it was._

"_Is anybody here?" he halted and listened intently for anything. "Anybody at all?" he raised his voice slightly but still received no reply._

_He pinched himself, the first time was quite a light pinch. Then he did it again, this time harder, hoping that it would wake him up. But he winced at the pain and the growing redness of the area he just nipped. He drew in a breath and began to walk again._

_After another half an hour of constant walking, his back hunched, he grew weary._

"_Hello…?" he asked dully, just to fill in the void of silence. It was obvious after an hour of nothingness, he got use to not hearing anything. He was even starting to think if he was deaf or not. "Hello…?" he asked again, just to make sure he could still hear._

"_Man, this is getting really tiring." He stopped in his tracks and straightened himself out. "Oh for crying out loud! Somebody just punch me in the head and let me wake up already!" he shouted out as stomped his foot on the ground._

_He pinched himself one more time and finally concluded that he's not gonna wake up anytime soon, he slumped to the floor. "This sucks…"_

"_Tell me about it."_

"_Huh?" Roxas bolted up from the ground and frantically looked around for the source of the voice. "Where are you?"_

"_I've been beside you all the time," Roxas' eyes widened and he turned around, but seeing nothing other than darkness. "But you were so caught up with yelling and shouting, you never noticed me…"_

"_Maybe if you spoke up a little." He reasoned, still trying to find the speaker._

"_You know that little voice in your head?"_

"_Yeah…?" he tilted his head slightly in question. "Was that-"_

"_That wasn't me."_

_Roxas hunched his shoulders, earning him a laugh from the other. "Ok and your point?" the blond asked after he straightened himself out._

"_It's nothing…"_

"_I have a question for you."_

"_What is it?"_

"_What's your name? Are you Axel?"_

_He received no reply._

"_You sound like him, you laugh like him, you talk like him. Am I right?"_

_Again, he received no answer, but he knew he was still there._

"_Another question, how did you get into my dreams?"_

_Silence._

"_Ok you're gonna have to speak up a little. I'm starting to think you left me again."_

"_I'm still here."_

"_Then say something, unless you rather not answer."_

"_I rather not answer."_

"_See? That's all you had to say." He lowered his eyes to the ground. "But answer me this, at least. What do you need help with?"_

"_I think it's about time you woke up."_

"_Hey, wait! That's not fair!" he shouted and realized that the ground was cracking beneath him. "Hey! HEY!!"_

"

* * *

"AXEL!" he bolted from the bed and was greeted with a head rush.

"Yo Roxy. Chill. You ok?" a red head appeared beside him, immediately trying to tend to his needs.

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." He grabbed his head and tried to calm down the dizziness.

"You took quite a blow to the head."

"Huh? Oh yeah. I guess."

"What's wrong Rox? You seem a little out of it." He asked as he handed a glass of water towards the blond.

"It's nothing." He took the cup and sipped from it, trying to look around for a clock but didn't manage to find one. "Hey Axel. How long have I been out for?"

"Hmm…I'd say ten minutes or so." He rested his chin on his hands as he looked up at the ceiling.

"Really? It felt like I've been sleeping for an hour." He suppressed a yawn and took another sip of water.

"That's a power nap for ya." He shrugged and looked at the miniscule bump on the blonds' head.

"A what?" he almost laughed at the comment.

"A power nap. It's a really short sleep but you wake up feeling better, more or less."

"Oh I guess, but I don't feel better. Although my head doesn't hurt much anymore."

"That's good." He smiled and poked the blond where it was still hurting.

"Ouch!" he smacked the hand away, earning himself a smirk from the red head.

"Sorry Rox. I couldn't resist."

"Yeah, go poke somebody else." He scowled and gingerly rubbed the sore bump while the red head continued to smile.

As the comfortable silence passed between the two, the nurse bounced over towards them. "Hey ho! What have we here?" her dark eyes scrutinized Roxas while her petite finger gave him a small poke on his forehead.

"Ouch! Watch where you poke. I'm injured here!" Roxas berated the nurse who not only interrupted them, but also caused perhaps a bruise. "Geez, talk about adding salt to my injury." He scowled.

"Oh pish posh. You're just being a cry-baby. Now isn't that right Axel?" she turned her head from the blond towards the said person while smiling toothily.

"Yeah, I must admit he is a little bit of a kid." He smirked at Roxas who rewarded him with a scowl and a pout. 'A cute kid I must say.' He blanched…'Did that just make me sound like a pedophile?' he wondered and was ignored by the other two occupants of the room who were exchanging a conversation on "Don't you mean rubbing salt on the wounds? Anyways, what happened to your head? Who did this to you? Do you want a pass? Do I look like a ninja to you?" followed by answers of, "Different words, same meaning. I got hit by a soccer ball. They said that Rai kicked it. I wouldn't mind having a pass, does Axel get one too? You're a ninja? You seriously don't look the part…"

Of course, the red head couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the last comment. Yuffie scowled and smacked Axel on the back of his head.

"Hey! Watch it! You're a nurse! You're supposed to heal!" the red head rubbed the spot of where he was hit and growled at the rather short woman.

"Well, suck it up Axel. I'm not meant for this job. I personally think Aerith would do a much better job than me."

He snorted. "Anybody would do a better job than you." Earning himself yet another smack on the head.

"Oi, geez…" he grumbled and decided to shut his mouth before anymore bodily injuries would be given to him.

"Alrighty then. I'll be right back with your passes." She turned and walked away but not before glaring at Axel. "You know where the ice packs are right? Help yourself." She stuck her nose in the air and stalked away.

Once she was out of sight, Roxas felt it was safe to speak. "You seem to know her well. This is my first time in here."

"What? Yuffie? Oh yeah, I use to get into trouble all the time." He spoke as he walked over to the fridge slash freezer. "After all this time, she still thinks she's 'The Great Ninja Yuffie'." He quotated with a mocking voice.

"I heard that!" a muffled sound came from the other room.

"No you didn't!" he lied as he hastily opened the fridge and grabbed an ice pack for Roxas and himself.

"You called me the Great Ninja Yuffie! I have a believer!!" she shouted happily from the other room.

"Oh yeah, yeah. That's right, alright!" he laughed nervously as he handed an ice pack over. "Crazy woman." Earning himself a laugh from the blond.

He sat down on the same seat he occupied a few minutes ago and relaxed, sighing contentedly. "So…"

"Hmm?" Roxas looked up at Axel rather groggily, his head feeling rather numb at the coolness of the ice pack.

"Is now a good time to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"You know what about." He inquired again, but the blond continued to give him the look of confusion. "End of lunch…Ring any bells?"

"Err…" he replied intelligently.

"Man…talk about blank with a capital 'B'…" he rolled his eyes, taking a deep breath before looking back into Roxas' blue eyes. "That argument you had with your friend."

"Ohh…right. That…I don't think I wanna talk about it just yet." He lowered his eyes to his free hand lying on his lap.

"Ok then. If you insist." He shrugged nonchalantly and looked away.

* * *

I was reading the Ansem Retorts. It's really hilarious for some parts, lol.

I've noticed that I haven't done one of those 'music meetings' in a few chapters, even though it's only been a while since Axel gave Roxas a song. I mean, dude. Axel recommended a song to Roxas just this morning before class started. So hey! You can't expect me to give him a song to download every chapter do you? Well I hope not anyways. Lol.

Yarr…Review or it's off the plank with yer. (Waves a cutlass around…)


	11. Closer

Woot! Double one! Yeah!

Anyways, I cannot recall if I ever placed one of these up. But the word DIS-CLAIMER says it all actually.

I ate chips and ice cream for dinner. That would've been a dream for most kids, but when you're living with just your sister, jobless and going to university. The idea is not so appealing. In fact, it's downright SHITTY!

Oh…I've noticed there's not much of a romance thing going on at the moment. But patience my pretties…Good things come to those who wait.

Ranchdressing – Lol, it wouldn't taste nice after another day being left open. Hehe, it would've lost it's bubbly goodness.

Crazydrawinggirl – Lol, dude. One song every chapter? Only if the mood is right.

hermione494 – Ehhh, I'm not good with action. I try to steer clear away from it if I can…since I suck at writing it out. Hehe..

Jymac – Aww! Roxas plushie!! I want…Lol. Did you make it? Or did you buy it?

Aryna.Tahashi – Lol, sorry if I made you wait, but ehhh you know me. Lol. I'm a procrastinator.

TheDarkTraveller – Youch man, that's gonna hurt BAD…Worst I got was…a really sore hand because I blocked a soccer ball with it…Lol…I was trying to punch it away…

pride1289 – Yay! Lol, update for you!!

Launch shinra – Hehe, I _kind_ of like my cats, but they kind of give me…a hair ball…which is kind of weird. Lol…kind of. If Axel and Demxy and Zexion was there, then I would do absolutely ANYTHING to stay in the same classes as them. "Yo, wassup ma peeps!" (The emo-group gives me a dead-panned stare.) "Alrighty then! Catch ya later yo!"

Erika of the Light – Well, Sora doesn't have a big part in this story, so yeah. And I don't think I gave him the mind of a five year old. I just think he's just funnier this way, you know, he's the comic relief. Lol. I mean, come on…I read comic books and I act like a hungry kid all the time! And I'm 19…Geez…Lol.

Marie-sama – Yay! Thanks for the review! Hehe.

0jadecat0 – Lol! Man, you are KA-RAZY! Lol. I love reading your reviews, they make me laugh out so much and I always get these weird looks from my sister that say something like, (Omg, I have a crazy sister…) Lol.

LupinandHarry – Totally agree with you on Rai. He totally gets on my nerves. Makes me wonder what he says in the Japanese version. Ya know? Lol.

* * *

By the time the two of them returned to their final class, it was already over. They strolled over to their respective teacher and handed in their pass before returning to the changing rooms and switching their gym gear for their normal casual wear.

Of course, being the last to return to class meant that everybody had already changed and evacuated the premises of the gym to their lockers and finally home.

Seriously…who would want to stay at school any longer than what's necessary? No ordinary person surely, unless they were somewhat of a geek and didn't have a life.

So being the last people in the gym, they took their time changing, occasionally exchanging small talk.

"So Roxas. Got anything planned out for today?"

"Nothing that I can think of at the moment." He spoke as he slipped out of his gym shoes for his normal shoes.

"What do you normally do after school?" he asked as he sprayed on a bit of deodorant. "Want some?" he offered to the blond.

"Ah no thanks. I normally just go home and finish up any homework that I need to do."

"Geez, what a total nerd." He smirked and he closed his locker and sat down on the bleachers waiting for Roxas to finish up.

"Better than being a lazy bum." He retorted with a smirk as he closed his locker and swung his bag over his shoulder.

"Hey, hey. I have better things to do than homework and staying at home." Reasoning as he followed the blond out of the doors of the changing rooms into the almost deserted hallway.

"As if I don't? I just wanna get the things over and done with before I relax." He turned the corner and spotted his brother talking to his red-headed friend.

"Yeah, but by the time you're done with homework, it'll be too late to do anything fun." He spotted a few people giving him stares and glared back, making them quickly look away in embarrassment. "And with the amount of homework we're getting, you're not gonna get much of a relaxation."

"No, that's not entirely true. I'm pretty laid back as you can see." He smiled and waved to his brother and his friend as he walked passed them. "See you later Sora. Bye Kairi."

"I know what the definition of laid back is, and you are definitely not it." He quirked up an eyebrow and stared at the blond beside him. "Who was that by the way?"

"As if you're laid back yourself?" he stopped walking and turned to the red head, matching Axel's facials with his own before continuing down the hallway. "That was my brother and his friend."

"I _am_ pretty laid back. I just think you're too up-tight." He turned another corner, knowing which way Roxas was heading to. "Never knew you had a brother."

"I am not up-tight. _You _are just a lazy bum." He shook his head and adjusted his bag. "Anyways, you never asked if I had a brother or not."

"Ok fine, maybe I _am _a little lazy. But you can't blame me for wanting to enjoy life." He shrugged and stopped by the blonds' locker. "But now that I think about it, he _does_ have your blue eyes."

"You have your way and I have my way. You think of the 'now' and I think of the 'later'." He reasoned as he turned the dial of his lock. "He's older than me, so it's _me_ that's got his blue eyes."

"Hey I like to think of it as, 'it's now or never'. You think of it as, 'there's always next time' or 'maybe later'." He leaned on the locker next to Roxas'. "So you're the baby brother. Now, ain't that just the sweetest thing." He smirked.

"You have your way of life, and I have my way of life. And besides, everybody has different opinions on everything. And we happen to be a great example." He stuffed in his gym gear and took out his books from English period and his visual diary from Computer class. "Call me the baby brother again, and I will personally beat the crap out of you."

"Ohh tough guy eh?" he raised himself to his full height and sneered at the short blond in front of him.

"Height may be a bit of an advantage but it doesn't say much about skills." He smirked as he tried to remember if he had any homework for stats or science.

"Oh we'll see about that." He continued to smirk as he gently closed the locker door, much to Roxas' chagrin.

"I was still looking through it." Scowling as he looked up to meet with Axel's jade eyes.

They shared a moment of silence, each trying to figure out what was going on behind those eyes. Blue eyes met green and vice versa.

Occasionally, an unnamed emotion passed through Axel's eyes, catching the attention of Roxas. And in turn Axel would notice the look of curiosity arising in those blue orbs.

A gentle smile graced his lips, making the blond smile in return.

"What are you smiling at?" Roxas asked, trying to replace his smile with a smirk but failed.

"You." He continued to smile, while leaning in just a little bit closer.

"Why?" he asked, his mind not at all comprehending the precarious position he was in.

"Because…" the last word barely came out in a low whisper as he lessened the distance between them. His warm breath becoming more noticeable as it flowed passed Roxas' cheeks.

"Because?" his smile faltered, something was nagging at him from the back of his head, but he couldn't pinpoint what that something was nagging about.

'So close…too close…' the voice spoke, with a tone of urgency. 'So close…too close…' it repeated like a broken record. 'Too close…too close…' it repeated again, and it would've clicked if Roxas was of sound mind. But at the moment, his mind was on vacation.

"I-"

"AXEL! Dude! How long does it take for you to get ready?!" a certain blond with a mohawk slash mullet shouted and waved from the far end of the hallway while the said person growled as he reluctantly turned his gaze from Roxas to glare at Demyx.

"Couldn't you have gone without me?" he flared out as he straightened himself out just slightly.

"Err, no. Because _you're_ the one who wanted to go there in the first place." Demyx reasoned while standing next to the slate haired boy. "But Larxene, Marluxia and the rest have gone ahead. I just came to see what's holding you up." He snickered childishly while Zexion smirked ever so slightly.

"Right, right." He sighed and turned back to the other blond, relinquishing his hand blocking the locker. "Yeah anyways, we're gonna go grab a bite then hang out at the arcade. Wanna come with?" he asked as he tucked his thumbs into his pockets.

"Nah, don't think I can. I normally get permission from my mother first." He reasoned, all the while forgetting what almost happened. Or didn't happen.

"Aren't you a momma's boy now." He smirked as he ruffled the blonds' hair. Messing it up even further.

"Hey! Don't touch the hair!" he squirmed away from Axel's hands and tried to fix it up. "Anyways, I'm not a 'momma's boy', I'm just being responsible." He scowled, giving up with his hair because there was no mirror near by to help him.

"If you say so." He chuckled and shrugged, tucking his thumbs into his pockets again.

"OI! Are we leaving yet?!" Demyx shouted out, interrupting them once again.

"Guess that's my cue to leave." He turned around and walked off, waving as he did so. "See you tomorrow Roxy."

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that!" he shouted out, wishing he had something to chuck at Axel but failed to find anything that wouldn't damage him too much.

Once he took out all that he needed from his locker, he closed it and locked it before walking towards the entrance of the school where his brother would be awaiting him.

"Sorry Sora. I got held up." He apologized as he adjusted his now very heavy bag.

"No worries bro. Who's the new guy?" he asked as he continued to read his comic book.

"Axel? He's actually been going to our school for a while now. We've just never noticed him before." He spoke as he looked at his watch. "We better hurry up if we wanna catch our bus."

"Ok then." He closed his comic and broke into a jog with Roxas in tow. "I heard you fainted in Gym class." He snickered.

"I didn't faint." He scowled. "I got smacked on the head with a soccer ball. I blacked out."

"Oh, I was wondering why your fore head looked a little reddish and swollen."

"What did you think it was? A bee sting?" he rolled his eyes and quickened his pace.

"You never know." He laughed and jumped over a kid who was tying up his shoe laces.

They managed to catch the bus with a few seconds to spare, but at the expense of losing the best seats due to their tardiness. "Opps, my bad." Roxas apologized as he gripped on the metal pole of the bus for balance.

"No worries bro. It's not like we can't get use to it." He managed himself into a comfortable position before turning to back to his comic book.

The bus ride took a little under half an hour before they got to their stop. And it took them another five minutes before they reached the steps of their front door. Once they entered, they were greeted by their happy-go-lucky mother.

"Welcome home dears. Would you like a-OH MY DEAR LORD! Roxas! What happened to your poor head?!" she scrambled over towards the said boy and examined his head from left to right. "Oh my poor baby. Who did this to you? I should call in the office and demand that-" her blue eyes filled with worry and it seemed as though some strands of her brunette hair was sticking out in peculiar angles.

"Mum, it's alright. Just a sports accident." He grumbled and tried to calm their mother down.

"No it is not alright! My baby got hurt! I should call them and tell them off about sports! It's far too dangerous for my two baby boys." She cooed and ushered Roxas towards the kitchen while Sora followed close behind, hiding his laugh from behind his comic book.

She was frantic around the kitchen, abandoning her cooking in search of an ice pack in the freezer.

"I'm not a baby anymore. I can totally handle a hit or two." Roxas reasoned as he watched his mother rushed towards him with an ice pack in hand.

"Not really, he fainted when he got hit on the head." Sora intervened and quickly ducked out of the kitchen to avoid shouts from his brother and frantic cries of his mother.

"SORA!"

"OH MY POOR BABY BOY!"

* * *

After another ten or so minutes of being babied by his mother, he managed to pry himself away from her motherly grip to retreat to his room. Once he entered his room, he released a sigh of relief and dropped his bag to the floor which landed with a soft thud which was heard from downstairs. Not a half minute later, loud steps were heard from the staircase and then incentive knocking on his door.

"Roxas? Honey, are you ok? I heard something fall to the ground." He heard her mumbled cries.

"Yes mum, I'm fine. That was only my bag." he replied as he moved over towards his bed with the ice pack still on his head. His mother insisted that he kept it on till it was melted…

"Ok dear. Do you want anything to eat?"

"No thanks mum. I'm fine."

"Ok then." He heard her shuffle away from the door and then heard the voice belonging to his brother. "What about me?" he whined.

He managed to block them out after he dragged his bag towards his bed and laid down. He stared at the ceiling and sighed once again. "What a day…" he recalled the events prior to returning home and grimaced. He hated the fact that he was on thin ice with Hayner. Yet again. But he knew that everything would be back to normal by tomorrow. 'Hopefully…'

He closed his eyes and concentrated on the numbing of his forehead. And he was about to doze off when his mobile rang. Without looking at the caller I.D, he answered it.

"Hello?"

"Yo Roxas. How's the head?" a familiar voice spoke.

"Hey Axel. I'm fine. Nothing permanent." He adjusted the ice pack and closed his eyes again.

"That's good."

"So what's up?" finally taking off the ice pack once the cold got too much for his sore spot.

"Oh nothing much, just wanted to check up on you and stuffs like that." Roxas could hear the sounds of the arcade from the other side.

"Yeah, so what's the other stuffs?"

"I got another song for you, although I'm not too sure if you'll like it."

"What is it?" he asked as he slowly sat up and reached in his bag for a pen and paper.

"It's called 'Thanks for the Memories' by Fall Out Boy." Roxas scribbled down the words and tossed the pen back into the bag once he was done. "Since you already have one of their songs, I'd figured you wouldn't mind another one."

"What made you think I wouldn't like it?" he asked as he flung the piece of paper towards the desk. Never minding whether it would land on the actual desk itself or flutter to the floor.

"Don't know. Call it a hunch." Roxas heard another familiar shout from the other side. "Oh yeah! I beat your ass at DDR!"

"A hunch…" he quirked up an eyebrow began to speculate.

"Yeah. Wasn't sure if it was your kind of music." The sounds of the arcade faded away from the background. He must've walked away from the noise.

"I listen to all types of music. I like good music." He insisted as he got up and walked towards his computer. Switching it on with a quick push of a button before settling back down on the bed.

"Yeah well, just download the song and tell me what you think of it tomorrow or whatever."

"Sure." He spoke as he grabbed the ice pack and placed it on his fore head once again. "Oh and Axel?"

"Sup."

"Don't phone me so early in the morning again." He heard a smooth laughter from the other side of the phone.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't wanna ruin your beauty sleep now." The laughter was soon replaced with a soft chuckle. "Laters Roxy."

But before Roxas could protest, Axel had already hung up without waiting for a goodbye.

* * *

I sneezed, and now I see bright spots in my eyes…What the hell? 


	12. Sing a song of Amore

Mmmm…I smell CHICKEN! I LOVE CHICKEN! It's the yummiest food in the world. What do you think? Lol.

When the moon hits your eyes like a big pizza pie…That's amore…

I'm in the middle of making a fruit flan. Lol. So while in waiting for it to cool down, I shall UPDATE!

Launch shinra – Omg!! That was a freaking long review! And I LOVED it! Lol. And I absolutely cannot believe you pre-ordered an album by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus! Kudos to you man! Depending on what cats I'm exposed to, it can vary from slight hay fever to coughing fits, asthma and red puffy eyes…Persian cats are the worst! Not that I hate them, they are seriously so beautiful! But too bad they made me go see a hundred dollar doctor. Lol…And no worries about the spelling mistakes, happens to me all the damn time!! Lol!!

Bubblegum Head – Lol, it seems as though I've made Demyx everybody's enemy! Lol.

Aryna.Tahashi – Thirty seconds still ain't long enough for a make-out scene. Lemme tell you _that _much. (Sneezes) Oh man, I see spots!

0jadecat0 – I feel the same way as you, although depending on how some stories are written, I don't mind if it goes too fast. I mean, speaking from experience, I use to write and jump right into the lion's den without first preparing a bucket of t-bone steaks. Lol. But now, I like it slow and easy. Yeah…People think I'm weird too. I mean, come on man! My jokes are the off the hizzy! I don't mean no disrespect bro.

Jymac – Awesome!! I would love to make my own plushies! But I'm horrible with sewing…I tend to end up pricking myself because I just suck that much. Lol.

LupinandHarry – Hell yeah Sora can jump over a kid tying up his shoes! You've played the game before, haven't ya? You've seen how high he can jump! He should enter the high jump competitions and woo Riku! Hot damn! Plot bunny coming up!

Dark Firesong – Lol…Games over here can get so crazy, it just ain't funny…I wish I lived somewhere else…But I like it here too. Lol. Expensive games are just one of them downfalls. 'How I paid for college' is a seriously good fic! I love 'Surgeon General's Warning' too! I'm waiting for an update…

Ranchdressing – Maybe I was staring at the computer for too long. Lol.

Conductor of Darkness – Your review was very much appreciated. It made me feel so happy…for lack of a better word. As for my random notes, they really are just random notes. Lol.

TheFoxGirlKitsune – Thank you! I'm so happy you feel that way! And extra happy that this is your first KH2 favorites too!

This chapter is dedicated to Launch shinra and 0jadecat0 for all the long reviews and the funny laughs. And I also dedicate this chapter to poor Demyx because I made him interrupt the so-close kiss between Axel and Roxas. Hehe…

And omg...fanfiction has come up with _yet_ another whacked up...whatever. My stories have lives now! Life!! They can live in 'storage' for up to 30 days! What a short, sad-lived life...But fear not! Once updated, you shall live on FOREVER!!!

* * *

Ten minutes after the phone call, Roxas had exited his room and tossed the ice pack back into the freezer after a quick wash and locked himself back into his room and proceeded to discard everything out of his bag onto his bed. He scanned through his belongings and picked up his visual diary and flipped to his current page. Scrutinizing at his latest work and trying to form the next best step at his assignment, he strolled over to his computer desk and took out his bag of gummi bears.

After taking one out and chewing on it thoughtfully, he then progressed to looking at websites to get ideas for his own future creation. He took down suggestions and various sites then flipped to a new page, labeling it as 'References' before taking notes of all the websites he visited as well as the time and day he visited it.

Once he was done, he flip turned to a new page and in big bold letters, labeled it as 'Web Design' and began his plan on his website. After finishing the 'Home' page, he proceeded to the buttons and triggers of the page, recording every step on a separate plan page before returning to his design page to continue on his work.

Fifteen minutes later, he decided to rest his eyes for a bit while chewing on another gummi bear. He sighed contentedly, feeling satisfied at the amount of work he had just done. But the fact that it was due in two weeks made him feel a little…dissatisfied.

He shrugged it off, 'As long as I do a little bit of it at a time everyday, it'll be over and done with.' He thought to himself as he reclined back on his swivel chair just a little, placing an arm behind his head for comfort.

Without looking, he groped around on the table for another gummi bear. Just when he closed his eyes, his mobile rang again.

Having a fair idea of who was calling him, he answered the call with an idea in mind.

"Hello, you've reached Roxas. I'm not available at the moment, but if you leave your name and number, I'll get right back to you as soon as possible." Then he made a lame attempt at the 'beep' and waited, with a smirk on his face. 'No way would anybody fall for that.' He almost laughed but held it back.

But surely, a very hesitant red head 'tried' to leave a message. "Err…Roxas?" he paused, as if suddenly forgetting what he was calling about. "Well, I guess you must be busy or something. Anyways-"

"Hey Axel." He was suppressing back his laughter, and failing very miserably. He only managed to catch bits of the next sentence from the red head.

"What the hell? You evil conniving little-" was all he heard before he started laughing without holding back.

After calming down a minute later, he wiped away the tears that built up from the corner of his eyes. "Man, I didn't think you'd fall for a lame trick like that." He laughed again, but not as hard as he did before.

"Dude, nobody ever does that trick anymore. What are you? Fresh off the boat or something?" he could hear the tone of slight annoyance from Axel. But hey, it was a good laugh, and it was worth it.

"Yeah well. Who would've figured you'd answer like you did." He smiled uncontrollably and he couldn't force it down. "So what's up?"

Axel had been grumbling something, probably profound curses of being tricked into something so lame, before he answered rather grouchily, "Gimme a song."

Roxas' smile faded away and was replaced with a look of question. "Say what?"

"Gimme a song, dag-nabbit." He snapped before taking a deep breath and continuing. "Give and take yeah? I gave you like what? Five songs or something. Now it's _your_ turn to gimme one of _your_ songs."

"Oh yeah sure. What song do you want?" he opened up his music folder and scrolled down his list of songs.

"I don't know. Any song would be fine."

"You sure about that?" he smirked, feeling rather cheeky after his last attempt at a joke.

"I don't like that tone of yours. Now gimme a song before I hang up."

"I guess you don't want the song then, if you wanna hang up so badly."

"I joke, I joke! Now come on. Be a pal…" he pleaded.

He scrolled down his list and came upon one of his weird collection of songs. "Ok then. You sure you want this song?"

"Yes, yes. _Please_." He begged. Roxas considered whether he should give him a good song or not. But his cheeky streak didn't want to finish.

"That's amore from Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. It's a duet."

"You gotta be shitting me." His voice sounded positively passive and shell-shocked.

"I kid you not my friend. Take it or leave it." He took out another gummi bear in celebration of his second successful attempt.

"Man…after everything I've done for you."

"Aww don't be sad. You wanted a song, and I gave you one."

"I want a better song." He demanded.

"Beggars can't be choosers." He spoke in a sing song voice.

"Yeah well, doesn't mean I have to like it. You just watch it. One day, it'll all bite back in your ass." He threatened half heartedly with a small chuckle. "So, Roxy. What are you up to? Hmm?"

"Oh, you know me. Just being a nerd." He teased. "What about you?"

"About to go grab a bite to eat. The offer still stands you know."

"Nah, I still have a lot to do left. Assignment from computer class and everything."

"Are you sure you're not making up excuses?" he interrogated.

"I'm not making up excuses. Although I don't normally go out on weekdays." He reasoned while still leaning back on his chair, another gummi bear in hand.

"Why not? It's where all the fun's at."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"There's the concert I told you about at _'The World that Never Was'_. He changed his tone for the place name, making Roxas laugh just a little.

"I'm betting that it's gonna finish up late into the night." He rolled his eyes, concerts were not his thing.

"Hell yeah. Then the party starts." And parties were not his thing either.

"You're such a party animal."

"Why thank you Roxas." He could practically hear the red head bow. "Anyways, I've got-Hey!" he shouted to somebody Roxas didn't know who. His voice was ringing in his ear.

"What?" he switched the phone to his other ear to hear better.

"Dammit, my food just came and Demyx is eating like a pig. I better go before there's none left for me. Catch ya later Roxy." And then the end tone was heard.

Again, Axel left without hearing a goodbye from Roxas.

After the phone call, Roxas took a good half an hour before he settled back into continuing his assignment. Even after he continued, he couldn't settle for sitting down and finishing his homework.

'Damn it…' he thought to himself, his working muse was gone, and even after looking through five additional sites to help his imagination stir, it didn't manage to get very far. He was still on the same page from where he left off.

He then concluded that forcing himself to work just isn't worth it. He'll end up being a lot more tired than what he bargained for. So instead, he elected to go see what his brother was up to.

* * *

"Man, I did _not_ get enough sleep last night…" Roxas grumbled as he stifled back a yawn as he walked along side his brother towards the school entrance.

"I slept GREAT!" he jumped in happiness at the last word and continued to skip beside Roxas.

"Your energy and joy is making me grumpy." He spoke and looked at Sora dead-panned.

"Sheesh…maybe we should go see a doctor and get you some sleeping pills."

"No thanks…I don't wanna rely on medicine to get a goodnight's sleep." He reasoned as he re-adjusted his bag for the seventh time in the last five minutes.

"A little help doesn't hurt." He shrugged and spotted a certain silver-haired boy not ten feet away. "Ooh! I see Riku! Catch ya later bro." he waved and ran off towards the said person.

Roxas continued to stare at his brunet counterpart before slowly trudging past the stairs towards the direction of his locker.

Once he reached his lockers, he had difficulty trying to get the combination lock to open. Just when he attempted to open it for the third time, he heard a familiar song.

"When the moon hits your eyes like a big pizza pie…That's amore." He turned his head in time to see a red head saunter towards him with a cup of coffee in hand.

Roxas couldn't help but crack a tired smile at Axel who continued to sing ridiculously loud and getting lots of attention.

"When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine, that's amore…" he stopped in front of the blond and leaned in just slightly to the same eye level.

"Ok Axel. That's enough."

"Oh no, no my friend. It is _never_ enough." He smirked and sang the next line. "Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling and you'll sing viii," he stretched the last syllable, then continued, "-ta bella…"

"If I give you another song, would you shut up?" he offered, although he was enjoying the fact that Axel was embarrassing himself.

"No, you get what's coming to you!!" he took a sip from his coffee, 'ahem'ed' then sang out the next line. "Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay like a gay tarantella…"

"Come on Axel, stop embarrassing yourself."

"Oh, _I'm_ not embarrassed. Are _you_?" he smirked and took another sip from his coffee.

Roxas looked around and noticed that most of the stares were actually directed to him, and he ended up feeling rather hot all of a sudden. He turned back to his locker and fought back his blush while Axel kept on singing the next few lines. "When the stars make you drool, just like a pasta fazool. That's amore…"

He fumbled with his combination lock tried to ignore Axel who still continued to sing. "When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet, you're in love."

"When you walk…in a dream…but you know you're not dreaming signore." He continued to make a fool out of himself, but it was Roxas who felt very embarrassed.

"Ok you can stop it now." But Axel ignored his plea and sang out the next line with dramatic hand effects, almost spilling his coffee in the process.

"Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli." He leaned down to Roxas' ear and whispered the next part. "That's _Amore_."

It sent shivers down Roxas' spine, whether in fright or in the thrill of the moment, he couldn't tell. But all he cared for was that he finally stopped singing.

"Geez, is it me? Or does it feel like this school is on fire." He asked rhetorically but Axel answered anyways.

"Hmm, must be you. Because there's not a fire in sight. But I can't blame ya." He took a sip of his coffee.

"Oh?" he finally managed to get his locker opened and proceeded to dump in his English books in place of his science books.

"Because you're standing beside one hot devil." He smirked, which increased to a very large Cheshire cat-like grin when Roxas accidentally dropped the books he was holding onto.

He choked on his next words. "Don't-don't say stuffs like that. You…weirdo." He blushed and continued to busy himself with his books and what not.

"Why? Can't handle the heat?"

Roxas failed to form a coherent sentence which made Axel laugh his head off. "Oh sweet, sweet revenge."

* * *

Bleh…I finished baking at…1am in the morning…Damn…I'm tired… 


	13. Good enough

Sorry for the long wait, my internet busted up! Lol, but I'm back so worry not!! But oh my god…I just finished watching episode 17 of Heroes…Good stuffs…Well, in case you're wondering why I'm so late behind the series, it's because I live all the way in the southern hemisphere of that little three piece island that nobody knows the name of. Lol. No…it's not Australia…Close! But not quite. Lol.

Jymac – Lol, at least your computer is in a room, my computer is in the living room so whenever I laugh, my sister would stare at me like I just turned into a crazy idiot. No privacy I tell ya!

LupinandHarry – Lol, when I typed it out, I was thinking to myself "Dude…how do you come up with this stuff?!" Lol.

pride1289 – Lol, I was baking till 1am because well…I rather cook the night before and finish real late than wake up really early in the morning to bake. Lol. Don't worry, my keyboard gets retard as well. Either that, or it's my fingers. Lol.

TheDarkTraveller – I am so honored!! (Laughs like an idiot.) Hehe. Wait…this story is my baby, so wouldn't that mean that we'll be in-laws? Lol. I kid, I kid. I think I'm high on sugar too.

Aryna.Tahashi – Yes, and it's very yummy and tasty too…(Drool…)

Conductor of Darkness – Lol, Axel is a hot and loveable person. And I'm sure you're not the only one who puts themselves in Roxas' shoes. Lol, I wish I was Roxas sometimes…

Ranchdressing – I know!! It's second to beef, but beef has more iron and proteins than chicken…But who cares?! Chicken tastes nice!! Yummy…

Launch shinra – Oh my gosh! Another HUGE review! Made my face go into a permanent smile dude. Lol. I've tried the phone thing before, I forgot what my friend's reactions were, but I think it was somewhere along the lines of _actually_ leaving a message. Lol, I couldn't stop snickering and eventually they heard me and I was laughing like crazy. And I _still_ cannot believe you pre-ordered an album of RJA, that's just so bloody awesome! And good luck with your exams dude!! I think your review was like an actual chapter! Lol! So long like an exam paper…Ahaha!

X fuji X – I'm glad you like it so far! Thanks for all your reviews and now for my reply! Muesli is like a mixture of grains, nuts and fruit! It can be a kind of protein bar or eaten as a cereal. Lol, the download site for Roxas isn't a real one, so sorry about that. (Eep!) You're not the only one who downloads the songs Axel recommends, but you're one of the few who says they have! And I totally agree with you. I love emo's! But they all seem to hate my guts because I'm too cheery. Lol. Oh poopy…At one point, I DID want to make Axel leave with his boxers on, but you know Roxas, he's too nice to let it go unsaid. Lol. No I'm not gonna kill Hayner. I ain't no murderer!!! But as a last note, let me say THANK YOU for reviewing every single chapter I've written even though most people actually skip to the last chapter before they review. You are one of the best dude!! Don't hurt the blue crayons! Blue is my favorite color! Next to black that is…

And MAN OH MAN! I forget to check my email for 3 days and it's bombarded with reviews! Holy shizzle! Lol.

Chapter is dedicated to new reviewer X fuji X for reviewing EVERY chapter even though there was no need to. Not that I'm complaining but yeah, it's the thought that counts and HELL YEAH I'M LOVING IT!! LOL!

* * *

"Yo Roxy. What's your next class?" Axel asked as he walked by the said blond with his hands stuffed into his pockets and slouched just slightly as he walked.

"I've got computers next. What about you?" he replied as he waved to a friend who gave the red head a weirded out look.

"You reckon I could ditch my class and get into yours?" he wondered, furrowing his eyebrows.

"You didn't answer my question, and no I don't think you can ditch your own class for mine." He rolled his eyebrows as he re-adjusted his bag.

"It's not important anyways. Why can't I ditch my class for yours?" he raised an eyebrow as he stared at the short blond.

"Because Vincent is my teacher, and he's not exactly lenient." He sighed for his friend. "What's your next class." He demanded, stopping to look at Axel with commanding eyes.

"Fine, fine. I take Arts ok? Geez, cut me some slack and put it on a plate." He groaned, turning away from those big blue eyes of his.

"Why do you wanna ditch art class for? I use to draw, but they looked like crap." He shrugged and continued walking to his computer class.

"I'm sure whatever you draw, is an art like Picasso's." He made a graceful movement with his hands.

"You're such a sap." He couldn't help but smile at that comment. "Anyways," he wiped his smile away, "I'd like to see some of your drawings. If you don't mind."

"Seriously? I mean like, I'm not saying they're bad or anything, but it's like, just one of those drawings that you probably don't see very often. I mean, even my teacher made a few crude comments on them." He rambled on, his cheeks stained with a hint of pink. Roxas managed to catch the sudden change in attitude from Axel and found it rather cute.

'What the…Did I just think he was cute?' Roxas thought as he furrowed his eyebrows and vigorously shook his head.

"You don't wanna see them?" he deflated slightly.

"No, no, it's not that. I thought I heard a buzzing around my head. Anyways, I really wanna see them. I'm sure they're _way _better than mine." He smiled and walked down the corridor that led to his classroom.

"Sweet. I'm gonna head to my class and bring over a couple of my works of art, yeah?" he spoke enthusiastically, giving two thumbs up as an 'ok-sign'.

"Yup, sounds cool." He returned a thumbs up and watched Axel grin toothily before dashing down the hallway towards his own classroom.

'Well, at least he won't get into any trouble for ditching class.' He thought to himself as he came up to the door and stepped inside the stuffy computer room.

* * *

By the time the bell rang for second period to end, Axel was already waiting down the hallway where he and Roxas had separated before it began. He was leaning on a wall casually, hands in pockets, earphones in his ears, receiving stares but ignoring them in favor of the music he was listening to. A folder and a sketchbook tucked between his arm and his body.

He smirked whenever he glanced at them, getting a jittery feeling as to what Roxas might react when he sees them.

Whether Roxas would like it, or hate it.

After a moment, the class started filing out, some wearing faces of utter stress, while others seemed as though they were pushed to the brink of exhaustion. While Roxas seemed rather… casual.

"Yo Roxy." He called out to the blond as he pushed himself off the wall and walked towards the said person.

"Hey Axel." He smiled as he met up with Axel half-way down the hallway. "What's that?" he pointed to the folder and sketchbook tucked between him.

"Wanna guess?" he smirked as he waved them in front of Roxas.

"Your drawings?"

"Correcta-mundo!" he winked and ushered for Roxas to follow him. "We'll go over to our spot and you can have a look at it there."

"Ok sure, but can I look at one now?"

"Well, aren't _you_ eager." He smirked as he gave him a side-glance.

"Never mind then." He rolled his eyes and quickened his pace slightly to match with Axel's long strides.

As soon as they turned a corner, the red head halted to a stop, making Roxas do a double-take. "What's up?"

Axel didn't answer but rather, he pointed over towards another person who was sending them glares. Roxas followed his gesture and his eyes soon fell upon a dirty blond boy, and he understood. By the time Roxas turned back to Axel, he was already gone.

Roxas casually but cautiously walked up to Hayner and greeted him in the normal way. "Sup Hayner. Finished with your-"

"You know what? We're done." He interrupted Roxas mid-sentence.

"Done with what?"

"Everything. If you keep on wanting to hang out with those losers. Then fine by me! Just don't come crawling back when you've realized your mistake." He shoved Roxas on the shoulder quite forcefully.

"Hayner, what is wrong with you? Not everybody is out to get you, you know?"

"Like fuck I care." He sneered, his voice and the fact that they were in the middle of the hallway, attracting attention from the other students. "I don't know what they've done to trick you, but I see who they _really_ are. And you're just another poser like them."

"Geez Hayner. Seriously, I have no idea what grudge you hold against them but-"

"I don't want your fucking excuses. Just seeing you with _him_ makes me sick." He jabbed Roxas' shoulder again.

"Look Hayner, can't we just talk somewhere else?" he tried to reason with him, not really wanting to make the situation any worse than it already is.

"What? Am I _embarrassing_ you too much? You think we're not _good enough_ to hang out with you?" he scoffed at Roxas before leaning into a close proximity. "But you know what? _I_ think you're just a two-face. A selfish, son of a-"

"I think that's enough." Axel's voice and the grip on Hayner's shoulder made the boy stop mid-sentence.

"Oh look. Here's your _friend_ to the rescue. Aren't you happy." He made a face between a smirk and a sneer as he looked at the red head before returning his gaze to Roxas. "See you later, _Roxas._" He mocked as he turned away and stormed off down the hallway, occasionally pushing a couple of people while the rest gave way.

Once Hayner was out of sight, Axel turned around to find a passive-looking Roxas. "Hey Roxas, are you ok?"

It took him a while before he replied, "No…" whispering before making his way towards his locker.

During the time they walked to his locker, he remained quiet and down-cast. When they got to his locker, and by the time he opened it and placed a book in, the whole impact of the situation finally dawned on him.

But the question still remained. 'Why?'

He made plenty of other friends before. And they all got along well with Hayner. So why was Axel different? He could pass off as another ordinary kid if he wore something other than black. 'Although the height could prove to be a bit of a problem…' he joked inwardly, unaware of the worried glances that were being given to him from a certain red head.

"Roxas, you can still patch things up with that kid if we just-"

"Don't go and leave me too." He spoke weakly, fully aware that he probably came off as pathetic but right now, he just didn't and couldn't care.

"Alright." He nodded and spoke softly, trying to soothe Roxas without being too overly out of character.

After hearing a response from him, he continued to empty his bag of his previous subjects and took out the books for his next subjects. Mid-way of taking out his sports bag, he stopped.

"Roxas?" Axel asked worriedly, eying him cautiously.

"He was my best friend." He spoke as he tightened his grip on his sports bag.

"I see." Was all the red head could offer at this moment.

"I've known him since we were kids." He paused. "And then Olette and Pence came along and we became an inseparable group."

"Then I come along and ruin the group." He smiled ruefully.

"No, it's not you." He shook his head. "Maybe it's been me all along." His head lowered just slightly.

"What if it was them?" he suggested, while leaning on the locker next to him.

"No, it's not them. They're still the same. They've been the same since we first met. Hayner with his bad-boy look, Olette with the pig-tails and the good-girl attitude. And Pence as the happy-go-lucky guy." He turned his head away from Axel just slightly as he spoke, loosening his grip on his sports bag as he did so.

"And what about you?"

"I don't know. I don't know what went wrong. I don't know what I did or said to him that made him freak out on me. I don't know if it's because-" his voice was growing ragged as he spoke and Axel stopped him before he continued talking badly about himself.

"Roxas, stop blaming yourself. Some things are just not meant to be. You know?" he offered but the blond continued to talk.

"Maybe I've been slowly drifting apart from them without even realizing. Maybe it's because my personality just doesn't fit with theirs anymore. Maybe I'm just not cutting it."

"Alright Roxy, stop going all emo on me. You're good at it, but being emo is my job. Not yours." He smirked and tried to get the blond to loosen up.

"But it's not like I can just-"

"Sure ya can. Just let it go. Wait for your friend to cool down a bit before you try and talk things through.

"What if he doesn't _wanna_ talk?" he furrowed his eyebrows as he spoke.

"Then it's his loss." He shrugged, "He just lost a great friend."

"Oh really…tell me one person who thinks I'm a good friend." He spoke as he turned to look at Axel.

"I can think of three." He raised three fingers and smirked. Roxas raised an eyebrow, signaling for Axel to continue. "Friend number one would be that girl Odette, or whatever she's called."

"Olette."

"Yeah, yeah. That girl. You may have lost…err what's his name?" he scratched his cheek in question.

"Hayner." He supplied.

"Yeah, that guy. You may have lost him, but I doubt that you've lost her as a friend." He reasoned, trying to prove himself right.

"But we're a group. If I-"

"AH AH! I don't wanna hear it." He raised a hand in front of Roxas' face to make him stop talking. "Friend number two is that happy-go-lucky kid."

"Pence."

"Yup, that dude. Same reason as friend number one."

"Right…" he rolled his eyes and turned back to his locker, reaching out to take his sports bag.

"Friend number three, would be me." He spoke, making Roxas completely stop half-way. "I mean, you may not think it, but I _do_ consider you as a good friend, if not a great one." He glanced away, trying to hide the genuine look of sincerity on his face.

Roxas smiled, taking a mental picture of Axel before turning back to his locker. "Hey Axel."

"Yeah?" he chanced a look back at the blond.

"Thank you."

"Ahh, it's not a problem." He waved his hand, trying to make the sappy feeling go away.

"Oh yeah." He spoke as he closed the door to his locker. "Where are your sketchbooks? I just noticed that you're not holding them."

"Demyx was close by so I asked for him to hold onto it for me while I er…" he scratched the back of his head.

"Come to my rescue?" he laughed and placed on his combination lock and clicking it into place.

"Ehh, close enough." He reasoned as he pushed himself off the locker and started to walk by the blond to their spot. "You still wanna see them?"

"Yup. So I can point and laugh at them." He joked.

"You'd make a fine teacher one day." He mocked.

* * *

Aww…wasn't that just sweet? I'm sorry if you think I made Hayner look like a total bad guy, but yeah well…I blame my fingers!! They type on their own!! Arrghh!!!! 


	14. Anger management

It's a cold, cold night tonight…Can you feel the cold tonight?!

X fuji X – Ack! Noo!! My black crayons!!! (Cries!) Here! An update! Just don't hurt the black crayons!!

Jymac – Whee! You're a kiwi like me!! Lol. I dunno, I just go with whatever. Since I'm an asian, I call my mother, Mama…Lol. I feel so honored that you re-read the story again. (Cries a river of happiness.)

TheDarkTraveller – All good things must come to an end…Nah, I'm just joking with you. Lol. Things will get better for Roxas, or it could get worse. Who knows eh? Muahaha!

pride1289 – Viruses are EBIL! EBIL TO THE CORE!! I've lost my baby so many times because of it…(My baby meaning my beloved computer…)

Aryna.Tahashi – Lol, Axel is a loveable, huggable guy…He makes me wanna hug him too.

LupinandHarry – I've always thought that Hayner is a guy who's on the aggressive side. If you're not on his side, he'll think you're on Seifer's side, who Hayner thinks is out to get him…I dunno eh?

-Sinister.Soul- - Ack! That's still _way_ cheaper than mine! Lol!

Dark Firesong – Ooo! Interesting idea. I must say. Lol. I feel another plot bunny coming up…Don't worry about Pence and Olette…Even though they're not there, they'll always be in our hearts…Cliché? I know…Haha!

Ranchdressing – Oh noes! You're leaving to vegas?! Don't get hitched now! Lol. Be safe and come back real soon. I wonder when that'll be….Hmmm…

Launch shinra – What?! Partially crippled?! That's terrible!! Get lots of rest and sleep!! As for your reasons of why Hayner is being such a bitch, I will not reveal why…Muahaha! (Ahem…) I think the reason why people hate emo's is mainly because the emo's are willing to be different, if you know what I mean. They are willing to be something that's out of the ordinary than what 'normal' people are. But seriously, whatIS normal? If they think they're normal, then fine! They're normal. Some people just aren't willing to face something that's out of their comfort zone or accept the change. So yeah, I feel for ya. Some of my friends bitch about emo's too, but fuck man…I'm half an emo!! Lol. I hope you'll have patience for your brothers. It'll be hilarious if your brothers end up dating an emo girl…Lol. No offence meant dude.

Conductor of Darkness – WHAT?! You don't know how to upload?! OK! LET ME ASSIST YOU! First, you go into 'Documents' by the left hand side, then you upload a story, make sure it's the right format. And then you edit it to however way you want it to be, and after that you upload the chapter by going into 'Stories' and then you look at the top and choose 'New Story' and ta-da! Pick the category, and so on and so on, and then voila! You're done! Congratulations, you have uploaded a story! I hope I answered your question. Lol. If not, feel free to email me.

HOLY SHIT! ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS! 100! THE BIG ONE ZERO ZERO! OMG WTF! I'M SO HAPPY, I'M PISSING IN MY PANTS! LOL!!!!

* * *

To say that English period went by smoothly was a complete understatement. The tension was so thick between Hayner and Roxas, you could practically 'slice it with a keyblade', said by Sora of course.

Olette and Pence would continue to glance worriedly at Roxas who sat at the back with the 'emo' until Hayner snapped at them and told them to 'quit it'.

Roxas noticed that his former best friend was doing everything he could to avoid his eyes and any form of contact. Notes that Roxas wrote would be ripped up and left to shreds at a little corner of his desk without being read.

To say the least, Hayner was in a _very_ sour mood.

After attempting to pass one more note, he received a reply.

'Stop your bullshit.'

"My, my…your _friend_ has a very colorful vocabulary." Axel spoke sarcastically when he read over the blonds' shoulder.

He quickly scrunched up the note and tossed it into his bag, deciding to stop coaxing Hayner into talking to him and opting to continue to work for the rest of the period. "So Axel, let's continue from where we left off yesterday."

* * *

When English period was over, Roxas quickly packed his bags and ran out after Hayner. He passed by Olette and Pence and he waved to them before continuing his chase.

"Hayner! Could you wait-" he had to brake suddenly when the dirty blond stopped and twisted around to glare at him.

"I don't know what you're playing at, but I'm not in the mood for your bullshit. So fuck off." He spoke darkly before disappearing down the hallway into his next class.

Axel walked up to the blond and stood beside him, a hand on his chin. "Yup, that's a _very_ colorful vocab he's got there." He nodded his head as if he was assessing something.

Roxas rolled his eyes at the red head. "I can always count on you to make the situation less awkward." He spoke with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, but either Axel didn't pick it up or he was completely ignoring it.

"Aww, I'm glad you feel that way."

The blond mentally slapped himself on the forehead before walking down the opposite way towards the gym. "Anyways, I hope we're not joining classes again today."

"Keep your head in the game."

"Was that a cheer or an insult." He raised an eyebrow in question.

"A bit of both?" he laughed. "Just don't get distracted ok?" he ruffled the blonds' hair, ignoring the wails of protest. "Wouldn't want you to faint now."

"I didn't faint! I blacked out! There's a huge difference!" he reasoned as he tried to sculpt his hair back to normal.

"Have you looked into a thesaurus lately? You could also use pass out, collapse, and to lose consciousness." He smirked.

"Honestly, you're a-"

"Smart-ass?"

"I was gonna say dork or nerd." He returned the smirk.

"Hah, my way is better."

"You _do_ realize that you just insulted yourself yes?"

"Of course." Axel held his head up high. "Wait…" he stopped walking, looking rather dumbfounded, making Roxas laugh.

"Nice one Axel. Nice."

* * *

The day's lesson for physical education was dodging. And there's no better teacher than a friendly game of dodge ball. Of course, it didn't help Roxas much that he was distracted half of the time. So, it was safe to say that he was one of the first people to get out of the game.

"Hey Roxas. What's with you today? I know you and Hayner had a row but you're not normally _this_ sucky at sports." Another blond haired friend came over once he got knocked on the back by none other than Seifer. He would've blown his head off, but there wasn't a good enough reason for it. After all, it _is_ dodge ball. But Seifer just couldn't help but throw to his heart's content. Henceforth, throwing a good ball or two in Tidus' direction and then getting a ruffled looking Tidus as an end result.

"It wasn't just a row." He sighed, taking a sip from his drink bottle. "He really means it. I think."

"Come on, we both know that Hayner is a bit of a hot head, but it'll all blow over within the week. I promise."

"I hope so." He sighed again and looked up.

"Dude, I _know_ so. You guys would be laughing about it by Friday." He leaned back on the bleachers and watched the others continue the game of dodge ball. "You know…That guy ain't half bad." He nudged his head over towards another player.

"Hmm? You mean Axel?"

"Yup, that guy. He's practically the last one left standing." He watched in awe as Axel jumped up to dodge one ball and skidded to the right to dodge another. When the teacher was about to call the end of the game, Seifer and his cronies decided to chuck the balls at him at the same time. Which was unfair, but hey, it's dodge ball. You win some, you lose some.

But Axel did the unpredictable, he took off his shoes and threw it at Rai and Fuu before they managed to get in a good toss. Seifer gave in a good throw, but the red head dodged it effortlessly.

"Axel, this is a game of dodge ball. Not shoe toss." Xaldin criticized after he blew the whistle. "Although I must give you credit for creativity." Lexaeus nodded his head in agreement.

"Oh yeah! Did you hear that Roxas?!" Axel shouted as he walked over to his shoes and picked them up, jumping up and down as he tried to put them back on.

Roxas and Tidus had bowled over laughing their heads off when Axel threw his shoes at the unfortunate followers but they had it coming.

"That was a good one! What's your name again? I'm Tidus." He wiped away a tear from his eye and held out a hand to the red head.

"Thanks, I'm Axel. Got it memorized?" he raised an eyebrow at the outstretched hand but shook it anyway.

"Cool, cool. You ever want to sign up for the Blitz team?" he asked. "You'd be a great player."

"No thanks, I'm not into sports teams and what not." He reasoned as he sat by the blond and took a swig from his bottle, earning a protest from Roxas. "Hey! That was my bottle!"

"Aww, too bad. I reckon you'd make a HUGE difference to our team." Tidus spoke as he waved his arms about and made a big motion with them.

"Thanks kid, but no thanks. I'm just not into it." He was nonchalant about it. Ignoring whatever Xaldin was talking about.

"Oh well, if you ever change your mind, feel free to tell me about it ok?" he started to jog into the direction of their teachers. "See you guys later!" he waved at them before gathering around Xaldin and Lexaeus with a couple of other people he could assume were his 'sports buddies'.

"You did good Axel." Roxas commented.

"Means a lot to me, coming from you." He smirked and drank from the blonds' bottle again, despite his protests. Once he was done with it, he offered it back.

"Eh…you know what? You can keep it." He recoiled slightly, after remembering one of his health classes from the year before. 'Don't share spit.' But another kid retorted with, 'But we saw you kissing your _boyfriend_.' The lady blushed and quickly changed the subject.

"Cool, score one for me." He waved the bottle around before taking another drink from it.

Once their teachers dismissed their class, Seifer, Rai and Fuu came up to Roxas.

"Heard that you fought with your boyfriend." The beanie wearing boy spoke smugly.

"Get lost Seifer." Roxas retorted, not in the mood to deal with anybody the likes of Seifer and his gang.

"This is a free country, I can be anywhere I wanna be." He smirked as he regarded Roxas with his calculating eyes before raising his head slightly.

"Yeah, it's a free country, ya know?" Rai took a step forward.

"Likewise." The silver haired girl folded her arms as she spoke.

He took a deep breath. 'Just walk away…' he thought to himself. "Likewise…I don't have to listen _or _talk to you." He spoke before turning his heels and walking in the direction of the changing rooms.

Seifer frowned before deciding to relax. "Sure ya don't, but that doesn't mean I have to stop talking." He shrugged and continued to smirk. "But then again, who would wanna waste their breath on you? For once, Hayner did the right thing." His smirk grew wider when he noticed that Roxas stopped in his tracks.

Axel who had been beside him the whole time decided it was time to interfere, he placed a hand on Roxas' shoulders and whispered, "Let it go, just forget about him."

"It's a little hard." The blond reasoned before he took another step towards the lockers.

Not one to back away, Seifer continued his taunts. "Looks like you found yourself another boyfriend. I guess Hayner caught you cheating on him for _that_." He spat out the last word while Rai laughing behind him, making Roxas halt in his steps again.

Axel tightened his grip on Roxas' shoulder. "Let it go. Block them out." He tried to guide him towards the locker, but he seemed to be stuck in his tracks. "Come on Roxas."

"What is he saying to you huh? Whispering into your ears? You like that don't you? Bet you left Hayner for him because he whispered to you sweet nothings." He continued goading him, knowing that Roxas would blow up any second.

"You don't know anything." Roxas growled out, his fists tightening into a ball.

"What's that? I can't hear you." He leaned forward and raised a hand to his ear.

"Yeah, speak up, ya know?" Rai jeered him on.

"Preach." she spoke as she stepped just behind Seifer.

"You don't know anything." He spoke a little louder, trying to turn to face him head on, but Axel's grip on his shoulder prevented him from doing so.

"Come on Roxas. Just ignore them. You're better than this." He tried to coax him to walk away, but the blond remained rooted to the spot.

"Hah, you're getting boring. But I knew you never had it in you to speak up. Hayner probably ditched you because of that. Because you're nothing but a shadow that's dragging him down."

"Shut up!"

Surprisingly, it wasn't Roxas who shouted those words. All eyes turned to the red head, including blue eyes that belonged to Roxas.

"Geez, you're one hell of a talker." He grumbled as he forcefully pushed the blond into the lockers with unforeseen strength.

Once they got into their locker space, he made Roxas sit down while he paced in front of him. "Ok, ok. I'm sorry I did that. But before you yell at me, as my way of saying I'm sorry, I got a song for you." He looked over at the blond who continued to stare at the ground. "Hold on by Good Charlotte. You got that?"

Silence filled the room and the ringing in his ear was starting to get unbearable. Everybody else had already left for lunch. As for Seifer and his gang, he could care less, but as long as they're not in the locker room, it would be fine. Or close enough to it.

Axel was about to sigh when Roxas filled the silence with two simple words. "Thank you." He spoke softly.

"Hey, it's what friends are for." He tried to smile but failed. His expression was filled with worry.

"I got a song for you too."

"I hope it's not a boy band." He rolled his eyes and smirked.

Roxas made a noise that sounded like laughter, but it was too short and too quiet to be heard. "Rooftops by the Lost Prophets."

Upon hearing the song, Axel chuckled, making Roxas raise his head in question.

"You wanna scream your heart out?"

"So you've heard of it then." He looked away, not exactly embarrassed, but he didn't think that maybe Axel already had the song to begin with. "Forget about it then. It doesn't count."

"It's all good. Maybe you can think of another one."

"I like 'Predictable' by Good Charlotte. Maybe you've got it already." He stood up and walked over to his locker.

"Nope, I haven't got it yet." He walked over to his own locker and opened it up. "I'll download it when I get home."

"Cool." He smiled before it became uncontrollable, especially when Axel kicked off his shoes. "Nice aim with the shoes by the way."

"Heh, they had it coming."

* * *

Ehhh…there's still not much romance…(Notices a mob of readers holding pitchforks and torches…) BUT IT WILL COME! Just cool your jets for a second, would you? (Angry mob shots arrows at author…) Oh for the love of- 


	15. Closer Still

Dammit. I was eating my gummi candy…And I ran out!! Dammit I ran out! RAN OUT!!!

X fuji X – Kya! Another fast review! Lol! But even after that update you still threaten my beloved black crayons! (CRIES!!) BOOHOO!!!

Jymac – Buuu, I'm so happy that you like it, but every time I re-read the beginning, it makes me go BLEH! Because the beginning just doesn't make people wanna continue!! Unless people are curious and what not. Hehehe…

Adalibina – Kya!! A new reviewer!! I'm so happy that you like this story! And even though I don't mind the sometimes 'rushed' relationship, I do find it confusing on some parts. So I try my best to 'slow' it down a notch or two. Hehe.

TheDarkTraveller – Lol! Good to know that you found it funny. Nice to know that you _weren't_ part of that mob. Haha.

pride1289 – Oh noo! Get well soon! Get lots of sleep and drink lots of water. Hehe.

LupinandHarry – Aww, Roxas isn't big on violence. Lol. So…too bad?

Conductor of Darkness – No worries, if ya need anything else, gimme a holla eh? Hehe. By the way…The game is so….GOOD!

* * *

"So, are we heading to our emo-spot now?" a certain blond asked once he closed the doors to his locker after dumping all his previous books and gears and retrieving his books for the next class

"Nope, nope. Not today." A red head replied as he pushed himself off the locker he was leaning on and led the blond down the hallway.

"Where are we going?" Roxas asked staring up at Axel.

"To the music room. Onwards!" he sped up and moved around gracefully passed the crowd filled hallways.

"Is Demyx having a music thing going on?" Roxas asked, trying not to knock and bump into the other students.

"Less questions, more walking."

"Alright, alright. Gosh, you make it sound as though we're late for practice." He rolled his eyes as he sped up and tried to walk at the same speed at Axel but ended up having to jog just to be at the same pace.

"Sort of." He abruptly turned a sharp corner, nearly bumping into Roxas in the process but he waved it off and slowed down when they came into a less crowded hall way and closer to the music room.

"You play an instrument?"

Axel threw his arms up in frustration. "Again with the questions!" he laughed when Roxas pouted after being denied again. "Just shut your yap and follow me, ya hear?" he strolled down the hallway, swinging his wallet chain around and whistling a tune.

"Question." Roxas spoke, not exactly indicating a question, but it was implied none the less.

"Ok, shoot." His stroll turned into a half-skip, half saunter.

"What are you whistling?" he asked as he watched the red head's foot work. It looked a little…dare he say? Retarded…

"A song from Breaking Benjamin called Diary of Jane." He took another turn to a very secluded area of the school. "It's a good song. You should download it." He continued to whistle out the tune.

"Ok. Cool."

"Anyways, here we are!" he stopped in front of a room in an empty and quiet hallway.

He paused, staring at the door before shifting his eyes towards the red head then back to the door. 'Isn't this supposed to be a music room? Meaning noisy?' Roxas strained his ear but couldn't hear anything coming from the inside and was about to ask if he got the right room when Axel answered.

"It's sound proof. So whatever _we_ play stays _in_ the room." He took a step forward and grabbed the door handle.

"Oh, I see. I was just about to ask that." he eyed the door handle and then looked back at the red head. Just when he opened the door, a guitar chord came flowing into his ears.

Once inside, Roxas took in the sights of all the different instruments in the room, but the main one he noticed was the black grand piano. "Wow." He gapped after stepping into the room.

"Yup, you can say that again." Axel chuckled as he closed the door gently behind them.

"Yo Axel! You're late!" Demyx called out as he continued to strum on his guitar while Zexion stood beside him reading a book.

"Yeah, I know. It's his fault!" he pointed at Roxas who was ignoring them in favor of staring at all the instruments.

"Hey blondy." Roxas turned his head and waved to Larxene who was sitting on Marluxia.

"Hey guys." He greeted them and turned around again, but not before doing a double take on a certain blue haired 'wolf-boy' who was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to Xigbar who was by the drums. "Hey Sai'x."

"Hello…" he greeted calmly.

"Well, anyways. Glad you could join us Roxas!" he called out to the blond who waved back with a smile before turning to look at the other instruments around the room.

"I have never seen so many instruments in one room ever in my life." Roxas commented when he set his bag on the floor and walked over to the piano.

"There's a first time for everything Roxy." Axel smiled as he walked over to the piano and set his bag down as well.

Roxas was fingering the white keys on the piano. He gently pushed down a note and a soft tune emitted from it. His features changed from one of excitement to a peaceful and tranquil look, as though he was remembering something.

The rest of the occupants ignored them in favor of 'doing their own things'. But at the moment, he felt as though there was nobody else but him and the red head standing beside him.

"Hey Axel." He spoke softly, sliding his fingertips on top of the cool white keys of the piano.

"Yeah?" he leaned over, placing a hand on the top of the piano for balance while the other rested on his hips.

"Would you believe me if I said that I used to play on the piano?" he wondered, tilting his head slightly as he continued to examine the instrument in front of him.

"Hmm…" he raised his head slightly, his hand moving from his hip to his chin. "Guess I would. Since you're a church boy and all." He moved over to the black chair and took a seat on it. "So, by 'used to play', I'm assuming you've stopped?" he asked, placing both hands on the chair and leaning back.

"Yeah." There was a hint of sadness and regret in his voice.

"Why's that?"

"It got in the way of my studies, my piano exams always clash with my school exams, after about three years, I just couldn't really keep up anymore." He reasoned as he pushed down another key. "I mean, I stopped playing the piano about two years ago, but I can still remember the basics."

"Things like that are hard to forget." He chuckled as he glanced over the black and white keys. "How long have you played for?" Axel asked as he settled his eyes back on the blond.

"I've played for about…" he looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully before turning to look at the red head. "Around eight years? More or less." He sighed.

"What grade are you?"

"Grade six…" he finished lamely, feeling rather pathetic. "I kind of wished I continued. I would've been grade eight by now."

Axel chuckled. "Maybe so, but you could always pick it up again later on. You're still young."

"For a guy who 'lives in the now', you're talking about 'the later'? Axel, I'm shocked." He laughed and took a seat by the said person.

"Well, you never know. It's not too late." He reasoned as he shuffled over a little to allow more room for the blond.

"Yeah, maybe sometime in the near future." Roxas smiled as he played a chord on the piano.

"You remember any songs?" Axel asked after noticing the blond playing a couple more chords.

"Not really, I can only _just_ barely remember two piano pieces." He held out two fingers.

"Play them for me."

It was an innocent request, but Roxas couldn't help but suddenly feel embarrassed. 'Did it just get hot in here all of a sudden?' he swallowed and nervously turned away. "Err, I'm not actually that good. I don't have the songs with me." He reasoned, trying to find a way out of his predicament even though he actually memorized every note of the piece and could play without the piano sheets.

"Who composed them? Maybe the music room has a book on it." Axel stood up from his seat and walked over towards a door and signaled for the blond to follow him.

"Ahh, I think one of the pieces I played is called…Strange lands and strange people? I'm not too sure." Another lie, he remembered the composer and the name of the song, but he wasn't about to play for him. He stumbled his way across the room, oblivious to all the stares from the other occupants, having blatantly forgotten about them.

"Wish you could give me a better clue on them. Do you remember the composer?" he opened the door and fiddled around the inside for a light switch.

"Eh…Try Schumann?" he watched the lights flicker on before Axel took a step inside himself.

"Alright, something to go by." He fingered the spines on the multiple books stored on the shelves. "Schumann…Schumann…Here it is!" he slid the book out of its resting place and opened it to the index. "Strange lands…and strange people…" he furrowed his eyebrows as he searched for the song. "Nope! Not in this one." He closed the book then slid it back and took out another one of the Schumann's piano collections.

Roxas watched nervously, silently wishing he wouldn't find it. He hadn't touched a piano in a long time, not since his father donated their piano to the church.

"Oh, oh! I found it! 'About strange lands and people' is what it's called." He closed the book and handed it over to the blond. "Ok, who's the other composer for the second song?"

He stopped mid-way of taking the book and stared at Axel. "Second song? Oh, right." He mentally slapped his forehead and reached out for the book. "It's by Richard Clayderman." He widened his eyes in surprised and berated himself. 'Oh man. What happened to 'not remembering' did I forget?!' he scolded himself. He had no idea why he answered the question. His original intent was to pretend he forgot all the pieces he previously played so that he didn't have to play for the red head. But it was too late now.

"That guy composed a lot of songs. What's the title?" he asked as he fingered the spines of the other books. "Clayderman…Clayderman. I play a couple of his songs. Maybe we both play the same one?" he wondered as he took out another book and opened it to its content's page.

"Really? What song do you play?" Roxas asked as he flipped opened the book he held and looked for a song.

"I played 'A comme amour' and 'Ballade Pour Adeline'."

"I never figured you to be a piano player to be honest. You look more like the rocker type."

"What happened to your 'don't judge a book by its cover'?" he chuckled. "Anyways, what song did you play?"

"Hey, I was just saying." He shrugged and laughed a little. "None that you mentioned. I played 'Mariage D'amour'."

"Cool, it's in this book." He closed the book and shuffled out of the room, gently pushing Roxas out before he switched off the lights and closed the door behind him. He took the book out from Roxas' hands and walked over to the grand piano again, lifting up the hood and adjusted the wooden stand that was used to hold up the piano sheets or music books. After having done that, he opened the books to their respective pages and placed them down. "Ok show me your stuffs." He took a step back and glanced at the blond who seemed a little lost and shifty.

"Erm…Do I have to? I mean, I haven't played in a seriously long time." Roxas reasoned, which was partly true. He felt a little shy and was unsure if he could play. His hands had a tendency to shake whenever he was playing the piano. Even worse was when it was his piano exam.

"Oh come on Roxy. Play a song for me." He pulled the blond over and made him sit down on the seat. He could feel Roxas' shoulders tense up and shaking just slightly. 'Is he nervous?' he smirked and decided to relieve him from his current dilemma. "Ok, ok. How about a deal?"

"A deal?"

"Yeah, I play a song for you, and you play a song for me. You cool with that?" he smirked and took a seat by the blond who more than willingly shuffled over.

"Ok, sounds cool." He breathed out and relaxed. Feeling more comfortable about the situation.

"Hey Demyx, wanna give me a hand on this one?" Axel turned and looked at the other blond who was trying to hide the fact that he _had_ been listening on their entire conversation. Although he wasn't the only one. Marluxia was looking up at the ceiling and whistling horribly out of tune.

"Sure Axel. What cha want?" he smiled and took a seat on one of the music chairs placed around the room.

"The song from your favorite boy band."

"They play a lot of my favorite songs thank you very much." He huffed and fiddled with his guitar.

"Close." Axel spoke as he positioned his fingers over the piano keys.

"Alrighty then. 'Close' it is." They glanced at each other as though they were communicating with only their eyes before turning away and starting the song simultaneously. After a few seconds, Demyx started to sing. His voice was so smooth and melodious, Roxas was surprised. Xigbar played the bass electric guitar softly which was very contradicting his looks. But the person who surprised him the most was Axel, whose fingers were graceful over the keys of the grand piano.

"Across the miles, it's funny to me.

How far you are but how near you seem to be.

I could talk all night, just to hear you breathe.

I could spend my life, just living this dream.

You're all I'll ever need."

Then the drums came in and Roxas turned to see Sai'x playing with it surprisingly well and not so 'wolf-like'. And just when he thought he couldn't be more surprised, in came Marluxia on tambourines, playing with the tune.

"You give me strength,

You give me hope,

You give me someone to love, someone to hold.

When I'm in your arms, I need you to know.

I've never been, I've never been…this close."

He couldn't help but smile as he listened to them play. Even Zexion closed his book and listened intently beside the dirty blond singer. He was so sure that Demyx was going to be the singer for the whole song when he was yet again surprised by none other than Axel who began to sing the next verse. His voice was smooth with a touch of huskiness and it was a bit deeper than the blonds'. Roxas didn't think he was a singer. Didn't look like it. 'Axel is full of surprises.' He thought to himself as he watched him sing.

"With all the loves, I used to know.

I kept my distance I never let go.

But in your arms I know I'm safe.

'Cause I've never been held, and I've never been kissed in this way.

Ohhh. You're all I'll ever need.

You're all I'll ever need."

Then both Demyx and Axel sang the chorus together, occasionally altering their tunes but continued to sing harmoniously. Zexion moved away from Demyx, and even though confused as he watched, he decided that the slate haired boy probably wanted to sit down after standing up for so long so he didn't pay him much attention. Once the chorus ended, Demyx sang out the next part,

"Close enough to see it's true,

Close enough to trust in you,

Closer now than any words can say…Yeah."

After that part was sung, Zexion came in with his electric guitar solo, earning himself a smile from the dirty blond singer. His eyes had widened just slightly but turned his sights away and paid attention to his fingering. Once his part was finished, Axel and Demyx sang out the next part together, being drama queens and added their own tune to the mix.

"And when, when I'm in your arms,

I need you to know,

I've never been, never been this close.

You give me strength, (You give me strength.)

You give me hope (You give me hope.)

You give (Oh!) me someone to love, someone to hold.

When I'm in your arms, I need you to know.

I've never been, never been. (Oh no I swear.)

I've never been, never been this close."

It was then Axel and Demyx finished the song with their piano and guitar. And once the last tune was played and it slowly faded away, the room erupted into a cheer.

"Whoo! That was awesome!" Demyx cried out as he punched the air. "Zexion! You were awesome!!" he got up from his seat and skipped over towards the slate haired boy who still had the guitar strapped on him.

"Thanks…" and a blush was added to his quiet reply.

Roxas couldn't help but laugh along with the group, he had never felt more accepted than he did now. In such a short period of time, he was welcomed into the group with wide open arms. Throw in a few punches, kicks and insults here and there. Axel voice broke his reverie of happiness.

"So that was a bit of a bonus for you huh?"

"Yeah, it was seriously cool." He smiled and couldn't help but see the red head in a new light. "I learn something new everyday."

"Yup, the joys of hanging out with us." He smirked as he peered into ocean blue eyes. 'Pretty…Wait…What the fuck?' he shook his head and mentally slapped himself on the face. He was in the middle of wondering what had just happened when Roxas spoke.

"Who sings that song?" he asked as he continued to look at Axel with awe.

"It's by Westlife. Ever heard of them?" glad for the distraction, his mind was just as crazy as he was sometimes.

"Yeah, my brother likes them. I think he's got a couple of CD's from them."

Axel chuckled, "Cool, maybe you can listen to it and compare it to ours."

"No thanks. I'd like to keep the original in my head."

"Original?" he quirked up an eyebrow in question.

"Yeah, I like this version better, so I'm gonna consider it the original version.'

The red head couldn't help but throw back his head in laughter. "You are seriously one weird kid." He fondly ruffled the blonds' hair again.

"I blame you." He laughed and whacked Axel's hand away from his already messed up hair. "So, a deal's a deal right? Scoot over." The red head complied and shuffled over. "That was a nice song. Mind teaching it to me sometime?"

"No problem. I'll bring over the music scripts next time."

"Cool." He positioned his fingers over the piano keys and calmly, smoothly and most of all, confidently, began playing the notes of the piece. Not feeling as nervous as he did before.

* * *

I had a bit of a writer's block over there…Ehehe…I blame the fact that I ran out of gummi bears. My fuel…Lol. I'm going to sleep now…I woke up at 6.30 in the morning and I gotta wake up at 6.00 tomorrow for uni…Oh joy…the wonders of life…

Anyways! This chapter is only a bit longer because of the lyrics of the song…Without it though, it would be its normal length, but yeah. I hope I didn't bore you too much on this chapter. Hehe.

Oh right…One more note…I'm off for camp for the next week. 5 days of natural wonders…Oh great…Anyways! I wrote out an extra chapter so I'll post it as soon as I return. Hehe!


	16. Issues

I bought some more gummi bears! So awesome! Yummy, yummy, yummy I got love in my tummy! Lol.

I am back from camp…FINALLY! It's been ok, sure, but seriously…no place like home ya know?! And man! Five days of absence and I get like…68 emails waiting for me! Lol…Wow dude…

pride1289 – Have tolerance my friend! Do not stress yourself out or else you'll be very tired. (Epp!)

Cavechan – Kya! New reviewer! I'm so happy that you feel that way about my stories! But err…please…my previous works are pretty…bad…Lol.

Bubblegum Head – Excellent!!! People would understand better if they have the song to listen to, I mean…it kind of makes better sense right?? Right?!

Adalibina – Good news…the five days wait is over!! MUAHAHAHA!!

Crazydrawinggirl – Welcome back to you too! Here's the lovely update!!

Aryna.Tahashi – Lol, five days are up! DARN I'm tired…

Conductor of Darkness – Well, everybody MUST have a soft marshmallowy side. Lol.

Indie Rockin' Emo – Lol, sorry dude, but I'm not really English, so I wouldn't know. I'm part…asian? And I was brought up most of my life in a different country so yeah…I _kind_ of had my own thought about…what he _might_ sound like? Lol. I'm confusing myself.

Smutlover – Sparky! Mmmhmm…

Veritas4Eternity – Lovely!! I'm so happy you love the songs Axel recommends, honestly, I feel the same way about it. Because the first time I listened to those songs, my friends gave me this weird look…Lol.

Cavechan – Oh my gosh, seriously? I thought a lot of people didn't like the beginning as much as it went on. So I kind of had to change it a bit. I really appreciate your review and I will try my very best to bring it back up to your standards!

CherryBlossom2 – Lol, don't say that! I'm sure your stories are great too! Everybody's got their own style ya?!

WGreyB – Aw! I'm so happy you said that! It makes me feel so happy and everything!

Shadowroxas – Lol! You're not the only one who's downloading every music that's being mentioned, lol. But everytime that someone says that they are, it makes me feel so incredibly…for lack of a better word, happy! Lol. Play an instrument! Practice makes perfect my friend!

Launch shinra – Omg! That's like one crazy essay looking review man! You make me smile so much it makes me look like I just got plastic surgery! LOL!! And I HAVE heard of that band! But there's just so many good music now a days, it gets really over-whelming! Anyways! I'm so tired, and I'm really, really, REALLY sorry I can't reply to everything in your review but welcome back!!

* * *

Lunch ended far too quickly for the blond. It was the best lunch period he had ever had during his time at school. And he was hoping that maybe more lunch periods would be like that in the future. 'Here's to hoping.' He thought to himself as he strolled by the red head towards their next class together.

"You weren't that bad. A couple of mistakes here and there, but you still got it memorized." The red head spoke as he strolled by Roxas, moving him hand from side to side as he talked.

"I'm not as good as I was two years ago. But thanks." He smiled as he walked unable to erase it as he thought back to Axel's little music performance just a while ago.

"Speaking of music. Remember what I told you in the weekend? About the concert?" Axel asked as he turned the corner after the blond did.

"The concert, which ends late at night, which is the beginning of the partying, and is also on a school night?" he adjusted his bag and quirked up an eyebrow at the red head, smirking as he did so.

"Yeah, that one. You interested? Sai'x rejected because he wanted to stay at home for the full moon. What a weirdo…" he huffed and slouched his shoulders in mock defeat.

"It's a school night. My parents wouldn't allow it."

"Aww come on Roxy. It's just one night. Do you have a curfew or something?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he stared at the blond.

"No, but I'm usually responsible enough for them to trust me. Besides, I never go out that late anyways." He shrugged his shoulders as he walked, waving to a classmate and greeting them here and there.

"Then one time wouldn't hurt!"

"No thanks…There's probably an age limit. I'm only fifteen." He reasoned, trying to work his way out of going to a concert.

"Ah who cares? You're just going for the concert, not the drinking."

"It probably costs a lot of money. Considering that it's a concert." He debated as he entered the room of their stats class.

"I've got a spare ticket. What part of 'Sai'x rejected' did you not get?" Axel spoke as he took a seat by the blond close to the front. "Geez, do you always _have_ to sit at the front?"

"How would I know? It could be door sales or whatever. And I _like_ to sit at the front so I can copy the notes from the whiteboard, thank you very much." He dropped his bag on the floor and began to fish out his books and pencil case.

"Pssh, door sales my ass. You're thinking of night clubs. This is a concert, you have to buy the tickets because there's limited spacing." He leaned back on the seat and balanced himself on the chair. "You're very much welcomed, nerdo."

"Stop calling me a nerd, you…weirdo."

"Oh…nice come back…" he spoke sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

"If the both of you have finished your conversation, I would very much like to start the last class of the day…" Mr. Luxord spoke as he ticked the roll-call and rubbed his temple with his free hand.

"Yes sir…" Roxas blushed out of embarrassment and glued his eyes to the book in front of him.

"Whatever. Looks like you've had a bit too much fun last night with the cards eh?" Axel teased as he eased his chair back to its normal position.

The teacher growled, "They don't pay me enough for this job."

* * *

"Man oh man. What a day." The red head stood up from his seat and stretched, his body cracking as he did so. "Damn, that feels good." He purred.

"That's disgusting…" Roxas recoiled after hearing his back crack five times.

"What? I can't help it if my body's getting old." He shrugged and slouched his shoulders.

"Drink more milk. Calcium helps your bones." Roxas suggested as he packed up his things into his bag.

"I hate milk. It's too cold. And warm milk is yucky…"

"You're just making excuses. How did you get so tall in the first place if you don't drink milk?"

"I dunno, must be my genes." Axel shrugged again and waiting for the blond.

"I drink milk, and I'm still short." He sighed as he walked out of the classroom door.

"Don't worry Roxy, you're pretty tall in my eyes." He smirked as he trailed behind the blond.

"Yeah right." He rolled his eyes before doing a double-take to glare at the red head. "Hey!" he stood defiantly in front of Axel and pointed at him.

"Outside the classroom now."

"Oh…right…That sucks." His arm dropped back to his side and he continued walking to his locker.

Axel chuckled. "I always keep my promises, dear Roxy."

"Yeah, yeah." He waved off the comment. "One day you're gonna forget and then I'll be there to shove you to the back of the class for voiding the deal."

"Aww, you're so eager to get rid of me?" he feigned a face of hurt, placing a hand over his heart as he did so.

He stopped walking and turned to look at Axel. "No, not really. I'm getting use to you."

The red head stared at the blond in mild shock. "That's good. Because I'll be sticking around and I won't be going anywhere anytime soon." He smiled and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Anyway, about that music thing."

"I'm not going with you Axel. So stop asking."

"But you haven't even thought about it!" he whined.

"Hmm…" he stood and made a thinking pose. "Hmm…Nope, I'm still not going." He shook his head and walked away.

"Aww! Roxas! Come on!!" he threw his arms up and stalked after the blond. Stomping his feet and pouting like a child.

"You're being a baby Axel." He couldn't help but smile as he watched the red head beside him.

"Only because I'm not getting what I want." He continued to pout and looked away from the blond.

"You can't always get what you want."

"Yeah well…this is the first." The red head scowled as he walked beside the blond.

"There's a first time for everything." He laughed.

It was then Axel jumped in front of the blond, making him stumbled back a few feet. "What was that for?!" his voice cracked.

"I'll make you regret not coming with me." He smirked threateningly.

"Oh really…Tell me what you can possibly do to me." He smirked back, stuffing one hand into his pocket and stood casually.

"I can sing."

"Is that all?" his face faltered. The comment threw him off. He was expecting somewhere more along the lines of possible blackmail. But sing?

"Oh, don't underestimate the powers of singing." He raised a hand and waved a finger to and fro.

"I'm not, I just wasn't expecting that. I mean, seriously. What can you sing to make me regret not going with you?" he shrugged and waved his free arm around.

"I'm thinking of a song…I think you know what song I'm thinking of."

"Oh no…not that song. Come on Axel. It was a joke! You're just gonna embarrass yourself!" he reasoned, taking a step back as he did, fighting down a blush as the memory returned to his mind.

"But _I'm _not embarrassed. The only person that's embarrassed here is _you._" He pointed at the blond and took a step closer as he did so.

"Who said I was embarrassed by you?" his cheeks tainted pink as he frowned.

"Your cheeks are a clear dead giveaway my friend." He smirked.

"Just because you sing a song that's gonna probably embarrass me, it doesn't mean I'm gonna go with you anyway." He pushed past the red head in hopes of getting away, but alas the red head followed. "Nice try Axel, but it's not gonna work."

"Ok fine, I'll sing another song for ya."

"Eh?" he turned around in time to see Axel turn into a punk-rock-emo singer.

"They said all teenagers scare, the living shit out of me.

They could care less, as long as someone'll bleed.

So darken your clothes, or strike a violent pose.

Maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me." He sung out in a loud and husky voice. Fully aware that everybody was staring, but he didn't care, not as long as Roxas' eyes are on him and him only. Even if they seemed a little freaked out by the situation.

"Axel! Shut up!!" he was panicking like crazy, worried about getting into trouble and trying to seem as though he wasn't associated with the fanatical singer.

"Not until you say yes!" it was then the red head took another deep breath and screamed out the next two words, "Oh yeah!!"

"Ok! Ok! I'll go! Just shut up!!" his eyes darted from left to right. The red head in front of him had attracted every pair of eyes in the hallway and more. His cheeks were stained a deep red of blush and his breath was starting to get ragged. Like a horrible embarrassment-induced adrenalin.

"Yes! I always get what I want." He congratulated himself then fished into his pockets for an item. "Here's the ticket." He handed a scrunched up piece of paper over to the blond. "If you change your mind in the last minute." He added threateningly before leaning in and whispering the last words, "I'll make you pay."

Roxas hadn't meant to gulp, but at that moment, he just couldn't help it. The red head sounded genuinely hostile, but the blond was sure that Axel wouldn't do anything to hurt him. He fumbled his hold on the ticket before nodding obediently.

Axel, having getting the reaction he wanted, smirked then strolled away, but not before ruffling the blonds' hair once more. "Buh-bye!"

Once out of his stupor, Roxas gazed down at the ticket and frowned. 'I've been manipulated…' He looked up and ignored the many stares that were being given to him, deciding to brood and stare blankly ahead, subconsciously wondering what song Axel just sang.

* * *

"Hey Sora. Sorry I'm late again." A certain blond apologized as he came up to his brunet counterpart who had been reading another comic book.

"Sup Roxas. This tardiness isn't becoming a habit is it?" he teased and poked his brother's shoulder.

"Of course not." He smiled and began walking to their bus stop. "So, how was your day?"

"Ah, same old, same old." He shrugged his shoulders then closed his comic book. "Oh yeah…What's up with you and Hayner? It looks to me as if you guys had a blow-out."

"Well…We're just having some issues right now." He furrowed his eyebrows and looked away.

"What kind of issues?" he noticed that Roxas had decreased his speed and slowed down with him.

"You remember that red head that I was walking with?"

"Yeah, what about him?" Sora raised an eyebrow in question.

"Well, Hayner doesn't like it when I hang out with him."

"Why? It's not like there's anything wrong with him. Is there?" he added worriedly.

"No, of course not. I know how to choose my friends." He spoke as he turned the corner and his brother followed.

"Ok then. So what's wrong with Hayner? Maybe he knows something you don't?"

"It's more like, Hayner doesn't like the fact that I'm hanging out with an 'emo'" he spoke with quotation marks.

Sora laughed, "What? Is that all? Man he's got some issues…" he finished lamely.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too." He saw the bus just in the distance and a small queue of people wanting to get on. "Better hurry up or we'll miss the bus." He started running, a little happy that he conversation has come to a stop but a little depressed that Hayner didn't accept Axel as easily as Sora did.

* * *

Sigh, I was away from the computer for five days…And I was so DEPRIEVED!!! I was so TIRED but I just HAD to update before I go snooze…Lol. 


	17. Straight up!

Sephiroth!!! I'm listening to that metal theme song for Sephiroth. One winged Angel. Damn I love the guitars and the violins. Nobuo! You are one awesome FUCKING genius! Take no offence to the 'EFF' word. Lol.

pride1289 – Oh yeah! Big round of applause for the MCR!! WOOT WOOT!!

TheDarkTraveller – Lol, no need to check every half an hour bro. I only update once every few days…Or so…Ehehe…Going outside is good! Get some sun!! Get active!!

The Seventh Legend – Woah dude! 16 chapters in one sitting!! Good on ya man!! Lol!

ToetalNnyfanatik – Lol dude, scissors?! Epp!! Lol, I don't think you'd find Axel in hell…that's just mean on poor Axel…I'm sure he'd rather be with Roxas in…(Insert place name here…) And you ate my gummi bears!! How dare you!! (cries!!) But if they're sugar free…you can have 'em! Lol.

LupinandHarry – Lol, my friend laughed at me when I sang it…Oh poo…Totally different reaction to what I wanted.

Aeternus-Spes – Five days without the computer was so horrible! It was…SO HORRIBLE!!! But now I'm back and I'm feeling better…more or less…

Shadowroxas – Lol, I think Axel likes embarrassing Roxas. Poor dude…

Aryna.Tahashi – I think I had enough sleep? Dunno eh bro? My holidays are ending soon…So…boohoo for me…

X fuji X – Woohoo!! No threat!! Lol. Me so happy…What song did Axel sing? You'll find out soon enough dear. Bwahaha!

Artificial Wings 39 – Lol!! I'm glad you like it! And you finished reading the whole thing in 2 hours! 2 HOURS!! It took me weeks and months to get this far and you finished it in 2 hours?! BRAVO DUDE!!

Adalibina – Lol Axel will always get what he wants! Or so he thinks…Lol!!

ADayInForever - Lol! I just lurve that song! I wanted to sing it out in public…but my friend begged me no…Lol!

Cavechan – Squue! Thank you so much for your review, it encourages me to read like crazy and improve my English more. (English is my second language…Lol.) MUST PERFECT MYSELF!!!

* * *

Roxas was not happy. In fact, he felt horribly stressed. For reasons unknown. 'Ok, ok. I know why I'm stressed. But why am I stressed about this? This is freaking ridiculous! It's just a concert! A concert! Right! No big deal!' he thought to himself as he paced in his room.

He started to bite his fingernails, a sure sign of anxiety and stress for the blond. He had been pacing in his room for the last ten minutes, working over something that shouldn't even need to be worked over about. 'Of course it's a big deal! It's on a freaking school night! No way mum and dad would let me go!' he panicked even more and finally walked over to his bed and sat on it. His head in his hands while his feet tapped feverishly on the carpeted floor.

'Why did I even take the ticket in the first place? Wait, why did I even say _yes_ in the first place?!' he scratched his head furiously, a few stray hairs falling onto his lap.

'I can't go. There's no way I can go. Mum and dad just wouldn't allow it.' He stopped himself and wondered why he was stressed again. He took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind.

'Ok, it's just a concert. No big deal. A concert that I _can't_ go to. Again, no big deal.' He stared blankly ahead.

"_If you change your mind in the last minute, I'll make you pay."_

Roxas groaned after remembering his last words. 'Axel, you never make things easy for me do you…?' he sighed and rested his head on his pillow. At the thought of the red head, his mind began to stray back to the song he sang.

'Hmm…I wonder what song he was singing.' He was unable to wipe the smile off his face.

* * *

"Axel. You and I both _know_ that the kid can't and _won't_ come." A blond guitarist spoke as he strums a few strings.

"Yeah, I know. But I'm just hoping that maybe I'd be wrong. Like I always am." He smiled sadly, reaching into his pocket for a packet of cigarettes.

"Axel…I don't know why you're so hung up on this kid." He sighed before continuing. "I know he seems familiar, but that's all he is. Familiar. He's not somebody you know."

"But I know him now. That counts for something." He fingered with the small box in his hands as he spoke, smiling sadly but fondly at the same time.

"Of course it does, but before that he was a nobody. He was a nobody to you just like you were a nobody to him." His fingers were poised over the strings of the guitar, unmoving.

"We're all nobodies at one point in our life, Dem." He sighed and took out a cigarette from the packet. He raised it to his mouth and reached for his lighter with his other hand. With a flick of his thumb, a small flame erupted. He covered the side of it to prevent the wind from getting to it as he lifted it up to the end of the cigarette. He paused, the flame just a small distance away from the cigarette. His eyes grew hazy and unfocused as he remembered his second meeting with a certain someone.

"_You know it's bad for you."_

He sighed and allowed the fire to go out. "I know…" he whispered to himself as he listened to the soft music that was being played on the guitar.

* * *

_Blue eyes opened up to be greeted by an endless darkness. For some reason, he seemed unsurprised by the situation._

"_So here I am again…" he spoke, not expecting a reply, but he wouldn't mind hearing another voice. 'His voice…' he gently raised his head and looked up. Somewhat expecting a small light radiating from the sky or ceiling but found nothing but darkness yet again._

_He turned around slowly and looked around, his eyes analyzing the dark surroundings. Remembering what happened the last time, he chose to sit down on his spot. "No point in tiring myself out when there's nothing for me to find out there." He talked to himself, almost willing for another voice to contradict him, or argue back._

_As he remained rooted on the ground, his mind was a complete and blissful blank. He felt calm and relieved. As though there was nothing to worry about, as if the world had been lifted off from his shoulders. But there wasn't much holding him down anyway._

_He began to whistle a tune, finding the silence a little too eerie. Five minutes into the whistling, he began to hear a voice. He paused and tried to listen for the source, but heard nothing more._

"_My head must be playing tricks on me again." He sighed and continued whistling but kept his ears open for any strange noises or voices. After a while later, he heard another voice accompanied by another._

_This time he was sure he wasn't imagining. Whoever they were, they were close, or as close as 'close' can be. He stood up from the ground and concentrated on the people talking._

_Their conversation was muffled and Roxas concluded that he was too far to get a clear hearing on whatever they were talking about. So as he began walking, he listened intently. Making sure he was walking closer rather than furtherer._

'_I usually only have one person in this dream. But there's two now.' He thought to himself, worried that if he spoke out loud, the voices would stop._

_He walked quietly and silently. Trying not to alarm whoever they were. The more he walked, the clearer the voices seem to be. And he managed to catch on little bits of the conversation._

"…was a nobody…nobody to you…nobody to him…"

_He could almost recognize the voice but he couldn't pinpoint it. It was still muffled as though there was a barrier between him and the foreign speaker._

"…I know…"

* * *

He woke up with a start, gasping for air as though he just screamed his heart out. He wiped away a small amount of sweat from his forehead and briefly wondered how it got there.

Then he remembered. He hadn't been expecting the ground to give out from under him. It made his heart pump with adrenalin. He could still hear the hard beating of his heart in his ears.

It was just so quick and sudden, he almost imagined himself dying from the dream. He scoffed and rolled his eyes. Muttering words like "Dying from a stupid dream, yeah right." and "Stupid dream is turning into a freaking nightmare."

He then swung his legs over the side of his bed and sat there silently. Breathing deeply in and out as he tried to calm his mind and his heart.

Just when he got himself to calm down, his phone rang and he jumped from his bed. He stared at his mobile, the familiar ring-tone he set as a default, vibrating on his study table.

He walked over and picked it up, fumbling around with it and almost dropped it. Blue eyes stared at the caller ID and he couldn't help it when his heart skipped a beat.

Why, he did not know.

"Hello?"

"Yo Roxy, how's it going?"

"Er…" he paused, not really sure of what to say to him. "It's fine?"

"You sound pretty unsure of yourself. But I digress, I'll pick you up from your house tomorrow at around 6-ish. How's that for ya?"

He paused, remembering the cause of his stress-induced sleep just before. "Listen, Axel. About the concert…"

"You can't go?" his voice sounded down and depressed.

"No it's not that I can't go. It's more like…" he almost slapped his head for being unable to find a good excuse not to go.

"Have you asked your parents yet?" he interrogated.

"Not yet, but the thing is, I don't think I can go."

"You haven't even tried yet." The red head on the other side sounded almost angry.

Silence. Axel waited for the blond to speak, while Roxas tried to find a good enough reason not to go but found none. It was just a concert right? No harm in going right?

"Could you phone me again later tonight? I have to ask my mum and dad when they're both home." He suppressed a sigh of defeat.

"Sweet." The happiness was oozing from his voice into the ear piece of his mobile. "I'll phone back at seven-ish. And you're answer better be a good one." He hung up, not even waiting for the blond to say anything in return.

It was turning into a habit. Axel just hanging up without as so much as a goodbye. In a way, Roxas could care less. But at the same time, he wondered why he was in such a hurry to just get off the line.

* * *

During the next few hours, homework was of little distraction to his ever wandering mind. His brother helped for a while, but it didn't last long.

Their mother was already at home, being the house wife and all, so it was just the waiting for their father to return that made Roxas continuously stare at the clock and wish it would either go faster, or perhaps slower.

He tried to work on his computer assignment, looking at websites to get ideas but every website he went on was of very little to help him. He sighed in aggravation and threw himself on his bed.

He watched the seconds tick by slowly and he wondered how bored people managed to cope with this much silence and nothingness.

He groaned and rolled over to lie on his side, then a thought occurred to him.

'It's not a date right?' he blushed in embarrassment. 'I know he swings _that_ way, but…he wouldn't actually…' He shook his head vigorously. 'Nah.'

It was then his phone started playing the Halloween theme song and his heart jumped again. 'Please don't let that be Axel.' He thought to himself as he pushed himself off the bed and reached for his vibrating mobile. He squeezed his eyes shut before peeking through one eye to look at the caller ID.

He made a face at the phone before taking a deep breath and answering it.

"Yes?"

"Yo Roxy, just wondering if you-"

"I haven't asked them yet." He interrupted.

"I wasn't gonna ask that question."

"Oh? What _were_ you gonna ask?"

"I was _wondering_ if you've downloaded the songs yet."

"Oh…Opps. Not yet, sorry." His cheeks flushed in humiliation.

"Nah, it's all good."

"Ok…"

There was silence between the two of them. Axel didn't mind it, but Roxas found it rather awkward.

"Right…so…" the blond hoped he didn't sound too discomfited.

"Hmm?"

"Ah, err…Well…I was wondering…" he started, scratching his cheek in mild thought.

"Yeah?" the voice on the other end sounded rather hopeful.

"It's…not a date right? I mean, since you're…err…since you swing that way and all…" he slapped his forehead for being so blunt.

Axel's laughter erupted from the other side. "You're joking right? You thought it was going to be a date? Hah, you're crazy."

"Yeah. Crazy. Yup, that's me. Totally crazy." He laughed nervously. 'And stupid with words.' He added as an afterthought.

"If it was a date, I'd tell you straight up."

"You'd what?" he was hoping his ears were playing a trick on him.

"It's not nice to trick another person into going on a date with you when they thought it wasn't a date to begin with. So in the end, it wouldn't be a date, it'll just be a normal outing. You get?"

"Err…yes?"

"Ok, lemme sum it up for ya. Tomorrow night is just a concert. An outing. Not a date. Kapeesh?"

"Yeah, I got it."

"Man, you are weird. Can't believe you thought it was a date. What a total crack up." Roxas could hear the red head chuckling away. "Well, anyways. I'm off for now. Talk to ya later Roxy."

"Bye Axel." He spoke in time before the red head could hang up. But even then, he wasn't sure if he heard it or not.

"Adieu."

Roxas could almost see the red head salute to him in a mock farewell.

* * *

I hate this chapter too! What the FUCK?! Roxas sounded out of character. What say you?!

Anyways…how do you spell…kapeesh? Like…the CORRECT way of spelling it? I was just going by phonetics…Capiche?


	18. One, two, FIGHT!

I want my…AVATAR!!! FOR FUCK'S SAKE! It's my only entertainment in the freaking weekends.

WOOT!! 150 REVIEWS BRO!! AWESOME KICK-ASS!! That don't make sense…but you know how I don't speak proper English when I'm excited!

Conductor of Darkness – So he WAS out of character!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!

Adalibina – Oh man, so it's not Roxas that's out of character, it's Axel?! LOL! Not quite what I expected...Oh boogers!

pride1289 – That is a GOOD question! I, myself, have no idea. But I reckon that Vincent from Advent Children would be a good teacher. Why? Because he was so sweet to Marlene! Awww…

Aryna.Tahashi – I found out that it's spelt capiche! Must've been a good stroke of luck that the movie I rented out had that word in it! Lol! Go subtitles, go!! Oh and erm…what's a basket case?

ToetalNnyfanatik – Lol! I dunno, he sounded a little out of character to me, so I thought I'd ask around. Hehe.

LupinandHarry – So he _was_ out of character!! I KNEW IT!!! (Gasp!) Roxas! Forgive me!!!

Crazydrawinggirl – Aww! I'm so happy you felt that way!! I was so depressed about them…

X fuji X – No!! Have mercy!!! No more threats!!! (Writes faster!)

Nooragh – Thank you, thank you!

The Seventh Legend – Glad you feel that way!!

Launch shinra – No!! Dead phone!! (Starts CPR) BREATHE DAMMIT!!! Lol…that was totallt random sorry. No worries about the short review, I just woke up so I can't really concentrate yet. Lol. Candyskins? Never heard of it bro…Sorry mate. I'm just as behind as you are, I only get lucky when I tune in on the tv at the right time. Lol.

WGreyB – Ehh…lol…I've only been to one concert…and I left early because _someone_ said that it was too loud and noisy…But it was free so, oh wells!

* * *

A certain blond was seen squinting his eyes at his combination lock trying to get it to open in the early morning of Wednesday. After his fifth failed attempt, he growled and glared at it.

Closing his eyes then breathing out a sigh, he decided to try again. Only to be disturbed by a particular red head who leaned on the next locker with a loud bang.

"Good morning!" Axel greeted in a sing song fashion, a cup of coffee in one hand and a small bag in the other.

Roxas jumped slightly and stared at him with wide blue eyes. "Did you have to do that?" he growled out.

"Do what?" he sipped his coffee.

"Slam into the locker and scare me."

"Aww, little Roxy got scared because of the loud noises?" he cooed. The blond just rolled his eyes and turned back to his locker. "You got a problem there?" Axel nudged his coffee cup in the direction to the blonds' locker before taking another sip.

"Nope, I've got it." He spoke after managing to unlock it. "I probably need a new lock or something."

"Nah, just needs a bit of tender, loving care from little, old Roxy." He grinned.

"Right." He quirked up and eyebrow as he rummaged through his books in his locker and the books in his bag, trying to get them sorted out. "You didn't call last night." He spoke as he slid in his computer visual diary.

"Oh, yeah. I was busy."

"Ok then."

"Were you expecting a call from me?" he asked as he took another sip from his coffee.

"Well, duh." He turned towards the red head and stared at him.

"Sorry Roxy." He laughed. "Did you ask them?"

"Yeah." He turned back to his locker and looked through it some more.

"What did they say?" he leaned in a little closer to the blond.

"They said…" he slowly closed his locker door. "They said…I can go."

"Yes!" Axel made a victory jump, accidentally spilling some of his coffee onto the floor.

"But I have to be back by 10pm." He added quickly as he placed on the combination lock.

"Sure, sure. No worries." He took another sip of his coffee and nearly spat it out when a thought made itself clear. "Oh! Have ya heard of the school fair?" he asked as he wiped his mouth with his hand.

"Yeah, there's been posters all over school. It's kinda hard not to notice." His spoke as he quirked up an eyebrow at the red head.

"Yeah well, this year's gonna be extra special." He reasoned as he began to follow the blond down the hallway.

"Why's that?" he asked as he turned the corner.

"Because I volunteered." He smirked proudly.

"Volunteered for what? Scaring off the little kids?"

"No way! The kid's mooch the money off their parents, so they're beneficial towards the fair! Anyways," he covered his mouth and coughed. "You know about that annual fair auction right?"

"Man, don't tell me you-"

"Yes, indeed I did." He smirked and finished the rest of his coffee before throwing it into the nearby bin.

"Ok then. Good for you. Why are you telling me for?"

"So you can bid on me."

"Right, why would I wanna spend, no wait, scratch that, _waste_ my allowance on you?"

"Think about it Roxy!" he swooped down and threw an arm around the blonds' shoulder. "I'll be your slave for a day!" he whispered into his ear.

"No thanks, I don't need you for a slave. I'd end up being _your _slave by accident."

'That ain't a bad idea, I gotta say…' he looked away and placed a hand on his chin in thought.

"Pervert." Roxas scoffed as he turned into his classroom.

"Hey! What the-When did we get here?!" Axel shouted out as he poked his head inside. "Roxas! Get your ass back out here. The freakin' bell hasn't rung yet!" he shoved a finger at the floor on which he was standing on.

"Bye Axel! See you next period." He waved and smiled innocently at the red head.

"Damn it Roxas! I wasn't done talking to you!" he yelled out and was about to stomp inside when a cough was heard from behind him making him freeze.

"Axel…What are you doing yelling at my students?"

"Err, hey Vinnie, how's the shooting ranges going for ya?" he laughed nervously as he tried to make a light conversation. Then he coughed and his voice reverted back to its normal levels. "Yeah…"

It was then the bell rang, but Vincent did not move so much as an inch from his spot. He took a deep breath and spoke calmly, "I believe it's time you get to your _own_ class." The older male spoke as he watched the red head (squirm?) in front of him.

Roxas, who was sitting in his seat with an elbow propped up on his chin, watched in amusement as Axel spoke with the teacher. 'There's a first time for everything.'

"Right…" he took a step away and chanced a glance back at the blond. "Catch ya later Roxy."

"Laters." He waved and continued to smile innocently while the red head threw a look of pure disgust at the blond.

An hour later, he emerged from his computer class feeling exhausted due to constant staring and over exposure of the computer screen. He slumped past a red head who had been leaning casually on the wall and tried to act nonchalant by the situation only to be thoroughly ignored.

A vein popped up from his forehead as he huffed at the blond before stomping after him. "Ok, I know I'm as skinny as a pole, but you don't have to be a prick about it."

"Huh?" he stared at the red head through half-lidded eyes and Axel noticed that his blue eyes lost a certain amount of its shine.

"Yo man, what happened to you?"

"Staring…at the computer…for an hour. So…tired." He sighed and his shoulders slumped even more.

"I guess Vincent's class is a killer ain't it?"

"Nah, it's a nice challenge." He offered as he yawned. "We have English now right?" he asked as here-adjusted his school bag and turned a corner.

"Yup."

"Great." He spoke sarcastically and sighed again.

"Stop sighing, you're seriously sighing away my happiness."

"And here I've always thought you were a fountain of happiness." He replied with more sarcasm.

"Ok, what _you_ need is coffee!" he added in a bubbly tone.

"And my theory has been proven." He shook his head and walked into the classroom, trying to catch a glimpse of his former best friend who did everything to avoid him. He walked past Hayner to the back of the classroom and took his newly appointed seat. He sighed one last time before his head made contact with the desk.

"Still hung up on your friend?"

"Hey it's not everyday you lose a friend because you became friends with another person who happens to be from a group he 'oh-so' hates." He reasoned as he angrily took out his books and slammed it on the table.

"Oh, never knew Roxy had a temper." Demyx spoke as he eyed the smaller blond.

"Hey! What did I tell you about calling him Roxy?" Axel pointed a finger at the dirty haired blond.

"Err…there's no rule about that." He reasoned.

"Ok then, I hereby make a new rule. Nobody is allowed to call Roxas, that's you," he pointed at the said blond who just rolled his eyes, "Roxy other than me. Capiche?" Then he chuckled. "That kinda rhymes."

"That's not fair, don't you know how to share?" he groaned before laughing as well. "That rhymed too."

Roxas rolled his eyes at the laughing 'emo's' and caught a glimpse of a certain slate haired boy who was watching Demyx with an unknown expression in his eyes. But he brushed it off without too much thought.

"Oh yeah, you guys wanna know what happened with Axel and Vincent?" Roxas asked and suddenly Xigbar joined in the conversation.

"What was that?"

"Axel froze in front of him."

"Pssh, no. I respect him." The red head reasoned.

"Looked more like you were pissing in your pants." Roxas retorted.

Demyx suddenly let out a howl of laughter. "Good one!"

"Roxas! I'm not taking you to the concert anymore!" Axel threatened.

"Ok. I don't mind."

"Seriously? I was only joking man. Geez…" he pouted.

"Oh, right. I just remembered something. What was that song you were screaming like a banshee yesterday?"

"Err, screaming like a banshee?" he tilted his head and stared blankly at the ceiling.

"Something about," he clicked his fingers, trying to remember the lyrics of the song. "Leaving you alone?"

"Oh! _That_ song! It's called Teenagers by My Chemical Romance."

"Cool." He spoke as he scribbled down the name onto his notebook.

"So, tell me what you think of the songs I've been giving you."

"They're nice."

"Nice…? Just…nice? Can't you gimme a better response?"

"They're…emo."

"Still not good enough."

"Keep pestering me and I won't go to the concert with you."

"Aww Roxas, come on." He whined.

"Ok, they're …an interesting variety of a musical selection. There. Good enough for ya?"

"I didn't get a word you said, but yup! Sounds good enough for me!"

"Alright, let's get to work." Roxas shook his head as he flipped to a fresh page of his notebook. "Hey Demyx, how's your essay going?"

"It's going awesome! Zexy is such a great help!" the dirty haired blond shouted out as he jump from his seat and enthusiastically waved his arms about. "In fact, it's going so awesome, I'm like almost finished!"

"Sounds great! If only Axel would work as hard as you do."

"Hey! I'm right here." The said person growled out.

"Well, no duh." He rolled his eyes and poised his pen over the paper. "Now stop straying and start talking."

Fifteen minutes into the lesson, the red head moved from topic to topic but thoroughly avoided the subject of his dream. Up until Roxas got fed up with it and threatened that if he didn't get on with the point, he wouldn't go to the concert with him. So, with that said, he began rambling about his so-called dream that he felt was a stupid thing to write about.

Of course, Roxas didn't want to waste all the effort he put in two days prior, so he made Axel continue on talking. Regardless of whether or not the red head was making it up.

"I don't know what my dreams are about, but I guess they're kinda nice."

"Mmhmm…keep talking." The blond head bobbed up and down as he scribbled down what he _might_ be able to use in the essay.

"I mean, they kinda give off this…feeling."

"What would that be?"

"Heck if I knew…" he sighed and threw his arms up in defeat.

"At least try?"

"Hmm…" he looked up at the ceiling and tried to remember. "It was like a feeling of belonging? No, no…" he shook his head and closed his eyes. "I can't explain it."

Roxas turned to look at the red head and frowned. "Think…use your brain."

"It was a sense of belonging ok? I can't think of a better word." He mumbled out in frustration. "I _had_ the word in my head before, but now it's just slipped my mind ok? Gimme a break." He growled out.

"I'm not gonna give you a break until you finish your essay."

"Why don't you just mind your own business then?"

"You _asked_ for my help!"

"Well, I don't want it anymore!"

"Fine!"

"FINE!"

"FINE!" he shouted out and angrily turned away and scooted his chair a few inches away from the red head. Ignoring all the looks and stares from the other students in favor of trying to calm himself down. "Stupid Axel and his mood swings…" he mumbled out as he flipped to a fresh new page on his notebook.

"I heard that."

"Good to know you're not deaf."

"Whatever…"

* * *

Oh noo!! Axel and Roxas had their first fight!!! Poor fellows…I feel so sad and guilty about it now…

On another note…I feel sick and itchy! I HATE camp!!!


	19. Smokefree

Ehehe…I hope this update came earlier than expected…I wanted the sad, guilty feeling to go away…so…Here you go!

TheDarkTraveller – Lol, I know! I feel the same way…(Hyperventilates…)

Aryna.Tahashi – Lol, I WANTED to have a Zemyx in here, but I didn't know where to put it…so…TA-DA!!! Lol! Don't worry…I'm a cliché kinda person as well…

ToetalNnyfanatik – Lol! Loving that script you made. Totally hilarious! I'm feeling better now, not much, but it's a start. You want me to drink…salt??

Conductor of Darkness – Roxas was PMS'ing?? I thought Axel was!! Oh wells…What's done is done…

* * *

Roxas strayed away from his new friends, and strayed away from his old friends. He found it hard to go anywhere without bumping into one group or another. He would've gone to the library but Olette would often drag Hayner and Pence to do their homework. So the library was out of the question.

He would've gone to find himself a quiet spot, except that the only quiet spot was the 'emo-spot' which is also a no-go.

He had wanted to go to the music room, but he remembered that it sort of 'belonged' to one of the many places that the 'emo's' would hang out. So…no-can-do for that place neither.

So in frustration, he gave up and headed straight for his next class, which happened to be physical education. No harm in going early right?

There was still fifteen minutes of interval to go, so he took his time getting to the gym and took even longer to get changed. 'No hurry, right?' he thought to himself as he re-tied his shoelaces for the third time.

Feeling as though his shoelaces had had enough attention for the month, he looked at his watch and counted that there was just over five minutes of interval left.

He sighed and proceeded out of the changing rooms into the gym and waited for the bell to signify the end of interval and the beginning of an awkward lesson.

Getting slightly fed up with the silence, he began to whistle. Somewhere in the deep corners of his mind, it would've vaguely clicked that this was a familiar situation. He continued to whistle until it was interrupted by one of the people he didn't really wanna see.

"Heard you had a fight with your _boyfriend_." A voice was heard from the entrance of the gym, his tone mocking and filled with venom on the last word.

Roxas yawned and ignored him, or at least tried to. He would've continued whistling, but he might end up going off-tune because he was trying to listen in as well.

"I knew you were only using him, two-timing bitch." A smirk was formed on his face. A boy snickering from behind him and the girl wearing a face of indifference. "There's no place in this world for people like you."

'I'm not listening…Maybe he'll give up when he notices that I don't care.' The blond thought to himself as he fixed his eyes on a particular spot on the hardwood floor.

"You deserve to rot in hell." He added with a wider smirk only to have it wiped off when someone joined in the one-sided conversation.

"As the infamous Jack Sparrow once said, with a fair twist of my own, 'the deepest circle of Hell is reserved for people with impertinence and foul mouth'…"

Roxas tried to force himself to not look in the direction of the new comer. Tried to force himself to not have those last words repeat in his head like a broken record. Tried to force his face to remain stoic.

But failed. Horribly and utterly failed.

Because there he was, staring at Axel with a look of surprise, his mind continuously hearing Axel's voice speaking up for him.

"You really ought to find yourself another hobby Seifer. You make others think that you have no life." The red head looked down at the beanie-wearing boy before stepping away, clearly avoiding Roxas' eyes.

And for the first time in Seifer's life, he couldn't find a come-back.

The bell rang but it was hardly registered in Roxas' mind, but when their teacher came in, he had to pry his eyes away.

'I don't even remember what we were fighting about…was it even worth it?' he thought to himself as he barely listened to their teacher's words, and barely noticed that Tidus was waving at him and talking to him.

And he barely noticed the look of misery in the green of Axel's eyes which was reflected on his own.

* * *

The hour passed and the class finished on an awkward note. Roxas stayed behind to pack away the basketballs in the storage room, trying to delay the time to get changed. When he finished and found nothing else to do, he walked slowly to the doors and gripped the handle, unsure if he should enter or not. 'What if he's still in there? What if he's waiting for me? What do I say?' he thought to himself as he glared at the door. 'Hey Axel, good game today.' He even imagined himself smiling and then physically frowned. 'Man, that sounded awkward…'

He sighed then pushed the handle down and entered. 'It's now or never.' He thought to himself as he went into the changing rooms, only to find it empty and vacated.

He was only slightly disappointed that Axel didn't stay behind to wait for him. But to say that was a total understatement. He was downright discouraged to start any future conversations with the red head.

He sighed and breathed in, noticing a familiar but faint smell. "Whatever…" he tried to shrug it off with indifference, but found it a lot harder than he had imagined. He stopped in front of his locker and pulled it open. "I'm not even angry anymore…but are you?"

He quickly got changed and ran down the hallway after realizing that he was almost ten minutes late to his stats class. Hopefully Luxord would be in a good mood and excuse him for his tardiness.

Once he got to the classroom, he was somewhat surprised to see that Axel was no where insight.

"You're late Roxas." The blond teacher spoke, not even looking up from the roll-call to acknowledge the younger blond.

"Yeah, sorry sir. I just came from my P.E class." He stood by the doorway. Unsure of whether he should enter or not.

"The other students don't seem to have a problem getting from that class to this one."

"Sorry sir…"

"Don't make this a habit. Now get to your seat." He sighed and rubbed his temple.

"Yes sir…" he hid his embarrassment as he scurried to his seat, ignoring all the snickers and stares from the other classmates.

Just when class was about to begin, another late comer decided to join in the class.

"What is it today…come to class late day?" Luxord mumbled out as he glared at Axel who merely walked into the class and took his old seat at the back of the room. Roxas was only slightly surprised that the red head didn't want to sit by him as per usual recently. Luxord noticed, but he made no note of it. 'It's their problem…not mine.'

"And where have you been Axel?" the blond teacher asked, quirking up an eyebrow as he did so. "And is that smoke I smell?"

"I went out for a walk." He offered lamely.

"Do that in your own time."

"Yes-sir." He replied with a mock salute and leaned back on the chair, his feet on the table as a balance, not having a care in the world.

As Roxas watched the red head from his seat, he couldn't help but feel guilty for blowing things out of proportion. 'It's not his fault he's not a hard worker…' he turned back to the face the front and rummaged through his bag for his subject books. 'Ok, that just came out wrong…It's _my_ fault for pushing him too hard.'

"Carrying on from yesterday, I'm sure all of you know the meaning of derivation…More or less." The blond teacher spoke as he took out a marker pen from his drawer and began to scribble down notes and examples on the whiteboard while mumbling, "I don't know why I became a teacher, I'm not even good with kids…Why am I a teacher again? Oh right, to pay off my poker debts…" he sighed and turned back to his class.

Roxas diligently copied down the notes and opened to the correct chapter and began doing exercises while listening to Luxord speak about the subject at hand. He paused in the middle of a question, 'I'll apologize by the end of class. He'll forgive me right?' he thought to himself as he continued the question he started.

"And if you did the homework I set out for you yesterday, you'll easily understand that _n_ is a derivation from _x _which will lead to an answer to-"

'Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah…' Axel thought in a sing-song manner as he watched Luxord attempt to lodge in some sort of information he wouldn't use in the future into his brain.

"Axel! Don't lean back on the chair or you'll break it." The blond teacher shouted out as he glared at the red head. "And I'll end up paying for it…" he added as an after thought.

"Yes-sir…" he replied again with a mock salute, leisurely allowing the chair to creak back on all fours. He then settled on watching the class continue with mild interest. At one point, although he didn't acknowledge it, he noticed that Roxas had his eyes on him. Flattering as it would be, he would normally smirk and attempt to make the blond blush. But the situation didn't allow it. Just when he shifted his jade eyes over to the blond, Roxas had turned away.

Axel casually sat cross-legged on the chair and elbowed his knee before placing his cheek on his open hand. 'Roxas, Roxas, Roxas…' he chastised in his head. 'You're not still angry are you?' he thought to himself as he stared at the back of the blonds' head. As if trying to communicate with just his thoughts.

He sighed as he watched Roxas work without any distractions from himself. 'You're working so hard today without me to bug you. Are you better off?' His heart squeezed slightly, experiencing a little pang of hurt. 'I stayed behind in the locker rooms so I could talk to you, but…I forgot what I wanted to say…'

Thinking back to their last class, he had tried very hard to get Roxas to look at him during the game of basketball. But just as hard he was trying to get the blonds' eyes on him, Roxas had tried very hard not to look at the red head.

Axel had thought that maybe he could catch the blond when the class finishes. He had attempted that at the beginning of class but Roxas was already changed and out in the gym. So that plan failed. And when the class finally ended, Roxas had volunteered to clean up and put away all the basketballs. 'Darn me and my luck…' was what Axel thought when he waited begrudgingly in the lockers. 'How long does it take to pack away a couple of balls anyway?!' he growled as he thought to himself, scaring away the last slow changers of the class.

His fingers were itching for something and what made it worse was the fact that this was a smoke-free school. 'Damn school and them rules…' he sighed and pulled out his lighter and began playing with it, in hopes that it would quell his hunger for a smoke. 'Ok, you know what? Screw the fucking rules.' Axel abruptly stood up and went to the closest bathroom stall and leaned on the wall while rummaging through his pockets for a box of 'stress-relievers'.

Taking out a cigarette and raising it to his mouth, he smiled. But when he raised the lighter and the flame erupted from the tip, he paused.

"_You know it's bad for you…"_

Roxas' words were repeating in his head like a broken record. "I haven't smoked in days…give me a break…" he mumbled as he gave in to his cravings and ignited the cigarette. He breathed in and sighed out in relief. "I know it's bad for me…But it feels so good…"

Just when he inhaled another, he almost coughed out when the door to the changing rooms creaked open. He held his breath and hoped that it wasn't a teacher. And much to his relief, it was just another student.

But when his mind clicked that it wasn't just _any_ other student, his mind began to panic again. 'Roxas is gonna _hate_ me if he finds that I'm still here.' He thought to himself as he held his breath and stood still.

He heard the blond sigh, "Whatever…"

He wondered what that 'Whatever' meant, but he didn't get very far to get the answer. He heard a metallic noise that belonged to Roxas' locker and Axel had to strain his ears to hear the next words, "I'm not even angry anymore…but are you?"

Axel's face softened as he mulled over the last words. He heard the blonds' movement go from slow to almost reckless, the locker being slammed shut and then a colliding of the door and running down the hallway to class.

As Roxas' footsteps faded away, Axel re-emerged from the stall. His cigarette still alight and slowly burning away. "No…I'm not angry anymore…" he spoke softly as he walked over to the sink and extinguished his half-smoked cigarette and threw it into the nearest bin before walking to his stats class.

Coming out of his thoughts, his eyes hadn't wandered away from the back of Roxas' head. He smiled softly and with a steeled heart, he decided. 'I'll apologize by the end of class. Roxas will forgive me right?'

* * *

Some chapters have a ridiculous amount of dialogue while others have a ridiculous amount of description…I can't seem to have half and half…Lol. Oh wells?

And well, fuck…I don't even remember my math's classes, but I sure as hell hope that I got it half right or, even better, if you didn't understand it! Just nod your head and go on with me eh? Lol.


	20. Home made

I must say…I was VERY proud of the last chapter…It actually had half and half of dialogues _and_ descriptions! Hoorah to me!!!

So…in err…celebration of the 2OTH CHAPTER! I am…somewhat willing to take in a request. And depending on my fountain of imagination, I may write one, or if you're lucky, two dedicated fanfics to whoever requested them. Lol. But please, don't expect something that'll make you go wow! And in fact, if I don't take a liking to your ideas, take no offence to it! I might end up using it as a back-up for my other fictions. Lol, at your discretion of course.

So that's all from me, ON WITH THE STORY!

Crazydrawinggirl – Lol, it was cute? Yeah, I guess it _was_ cute. Lol.

ToetalNnyfanatik – Oh!! Drink salt water!! I thought you meant eat a bunch of it. Lol…my bad…

Conductor of Darkness – Calm down my dear! Lol, take a chill pill and relax bro.

X fuji X – Aww, I'm so flattered that you decided to review for each chapter! (Cries tears of happiness.) Lol, I'm not itchy anymore, but I've got scabs and well…I've got fingers that are very…err…they don't know how to mind their own business? Lol. They just keep on picking on them and then making them bleedish…? Oh wells. Lol. But kudos to your dad for getting the internet fixed! Hoorah!! If the internet was down for me, I'm the one that has to fix it…bloody hell…Lol. I don't remember what I had for dinner two days ago…but thinking about it now, I'm getting a tummy ache…so it must've been…bad…(runs away to the toilet) Lol! You didn't need to know that…did you…?

Launch shinra – Lol, CPR on your phone. I did not think of it that way…Anyways, you gotta learn some self defense, that way at least you can kick them in the (ahem) and run for your life back to your place. Lol. I hope you're a fast runner eh? And I would SO love it if Luxord was my teacher too, we'd play poker on the weekends and I'll win his money! Lol!!

Aryna.Tahashi – Lol! So true, so true.

And on another note, thanks for sticking with me and the story to its present state. Hope you'll continue to be around till the very end!

* * *

The end of class was drawing near, and both Roxas and Axel were fidgeting like two boys who got into a whole heap of trouble and were about to face the principle. Of course, Axel could care less about 'Mansex', his personal favorite name for their lame and possibly gay head of the school. Although to Roxas, meeting the principle could spell the end of the world for him.

But, that's just too far of an exaggeration.

Axel's eyes had shifted from watching the back of Roxas' head to the clock on the front wall and glaring at it to go a fraction faster. But we all know that a watched clock goes slower.

'Come on, come on, come on!' he shouted in his head as he glared at the clock, which was ticking away indifferently to Axel's protests.

The bell was less than five minutes away from signaling the end of class and the beginning of lunch time. And it also meant that each of them had only less than five minutes to think of a really good apology.

'I'm sorry, how's that? Can't I just say 'I'm sorry'?!' Roxas thought to himself as he subconsciously copied down the homework that was set out for the day.

'Yo Roxas, I'm sorry ok? We cool?' Axel tried to act indifferent in his mind but the image he saw himself as made him slap himself on the head, earning glances from near-by students. "What are _you_ looking at? Punk…" he growled out, making the students widen their eyes in fear and cower in their chairs. "Yeah, I'd thought so…" he snarled and turned his eyes back to the clock.

"Tick, tock, tick, tock…" it seemed to mock him. Just less than three minutes to go and Axel did not have a good enough apology as of late. 'Hey Roxas, I'm sorry ok?' after hearing that in his head, he let out a low rumbling noise from his throat, alerting the close-by students that he was about to erupt and prayed for the bell to ring.

'That sounded like I'm demanding that he forgives me! Oh hell no.' he sighed and thumped his head on his desk. 'Forget it, I'll just wing it. Nothing like the good-old fashioned winging.' He decided.

Roxas had turned around when he heard a thump from the back and found Axel snoozing away. Normally, he would whack him on the head to wake him up, but the situation didn't allow it. So he just smiled and turned to face the front once again. Packing away his books and other items that belonged to him while Luxord tried to remind his class that a little bit of studying helps. "Even if it's just five minutes…" he sighed then mumbled, "And that's five minutes less of me teaching and _reminding_ you…"

Just when Roxas zipped up his bag, the bell rang and Axel's head shot up faster than a cheetah chasing after a gazelle. And the students that were close to him, ran out as if they were on fire. But he couldn't blame them. He wasn't exactly good company.

'Ok, now's your chance. What are you waiting for, you fucker?!' Axel yelled in his head as he remained seated in his chair. His jade eyes were fixed on Roxas who also remained in his seat.

'Ok, you can do this Roxas. It's just a simple apology right? Don't let him get away!!' he breathed in deeply and closed his eyes. 'I can do this.' His blue eyes opened and he exhaled. He then stood up, his bag in hand and he took a step from his desk.

'Is he going to leave without saying anything?' the red head thought to himself as he watched the blond eye the door. 'Good going Axel. You just missed your chance!' he would've banged his head on the desk to signify his defeat, but he waited. He didn't want Roxas to see that pathetic side of him.

'Isn't he gonna _do_ anything?!'

'Why isn't he _saying_ anything?!'

"Why aren't you two _leaving_ my classroom?!" Luxord spoke as he glared at the two remaining students of his class.

"Err, right. Sorry sir." They both replied simultaneously as they scurried out the door and stood by the doorway.

"Look I-" they started the conversation at the same time and then stopped. "You go first." They started again and then laughed.

Axel sighed and decided to be the first to go, "Ok, what I'm trying to say is…I'm…so-" he coughed. "Er…What I mean is…I'm s…ah…"

"You've got a way with words Axel." He laughed.

"Yeah, seems like it." He laughed and scratched his mane of red hair. "The bottom line is, I'm not angry anymore."

He paused and watched the red head in front of him, "That's good. 'Cause neither am I." he smiled, his blue eyes seeming brighter than usual.

"So err…Are we still on for tonight?" Axel asked as he scratched his cheek to hide his blush.

"You make it sound like it's a date." Roxas laughed as he watched the red head in front of him.

"But it's not." He smirked as he leaned forward.

"But you make it sound like it is."

"It can be a date, if you want it to be." He spoke softly, careful to only let Roxas' hear his words.

"Please Axel. I don't swing that way." He rolled his eyes as he smirked.

"I'll keep you my dirty little secret…" he sang out quietly as he gently poked the blonds' shoulder.

"Well aren't _you_ just the flavor of the week." He replied as he returned the poke with a nudge.

As Axel leaned in a little closer, a thought occurred to the blond. 'Hmm…this seems vaguely familiar.'

"Roxas…" his tone was soft and gentle, as though if he spoke any louder, the boy in front of him would disappear.

"Yeah?" the blond answered, his voice equally quiet.

"I-"

"Ahem…" another voice alerted them that they were not alone. They came out of their reverie and stared/glared at the disturber of their peace. "As much as I like my class, and I know that you all love it too…" his voice was filled with sarcasm and boredom. "If you don't mind…I'd like to leave my classroom to the teacher's lounge to have my lunch." Luxord spoke as he stared at the two students that blocked the doorway.

"Right, sorry sir." Roxas apologized with a tint of pink on his cheeks and a smile of awkwardness.

"Eh…whatever…" Axel rolled his eyes and dragged the blond away.

"Bye sir!" Roxas waved as he was tried not to trip over his own two feet.

"Do your homework!" the teacher replied as he watched the two walk away. "Kids these days…"

Once their teacher was out of sight although not completely out of mind, Roxas groaned in embarrassment. "Man, that was horrible. I can't believe I got told off by the same teacher in less than one hour."

"Eh…It's not so bad. I use to get told off all the time." He offered, trying to make the blond feel better.

"Oh, in that case…I blame you!" he pointed at the red head who feigned hurt.

"Oh Roxas! How could you! I've been nothing but loyal!" he fanned himself with his hand while the other was placed over his heart. "You hurt me so!"

"Stop being a drama-queen Axel."

"Ah-ha! Drama queen! Good one!" another new-comer joined in their conversation, slapping his leg and letting out a string of laughter at his arrival while the other stood beside him looking rather morbid as an emo should.

"What're you doing here Dem..." The red head demanded, slightly annoyed at the disturbance.

"Oh, nothing. I was just passing by. Was gonna get something to eat at the café with Zexy. Wanna come with?" he asked as he regained his posture, going back to 'emo-mode'. He nudged his mullet slash mohawk head towards the direction of the cafeteria.

"Sure, why not." Axel shrugged, forgetting what he was annoyed about. "We'll grab a bite and head back to our spot."

"Sweet as." He grinned and gave two thumbs up before proceeding towards the cafeteria. "What do you reckon gonna be on the special's today, Zex?" Demyx asked as he walked off, leaving the other two behind. The slate-haired boy remained silent and shrugged.

Once they got to the cafeteria, it was buzzing with hungry students. But even if they were ravaging the stalls, they still gave way to them. After-all, nobody likes to mess with an emo.

"I've heard that the red head guy likes to burn people…" a boy whispered to his friend as Axel walked passed them.

"No way, I've heard that he likes to go around at night burning down buildings." His friend replied as they shrunk away a little bit.

"Freaky…"

Roxas raised an eyebrow at that comment and gave an odd look towards the red head. "Axel…?" he accused.

"Hey, sticks and stones." He shrugged and went up to the food stand. "Besides, it ain't true."

"If you insist." He quirked up an eyebrow and stood by him who seemed a little indecisive about what to buy.

"So, what do you wanna buy?" Axel asked as he picked up an apple, a can of soda and then a Japanese style lunch box. "I'll pay."

"I'm not buying anything."

"Eh?! Why not?" he shouted as he placed down the items at the counter while Demyx was still choosing what he wanted. "Oh my gosh! Is that a parfait I see?!"

"I've already got lunch. Cafeteria food is expensive."

"That'll be $15 please…" the lady behind the counter spoke monotonously as he eyed Axel and Roxas.

"If it's money you're worried about, chill. I can totally pay for ya." He handed a twenty dollar bill to the lady and waited for his change, while Demyx glared at the red head. "Axel never offers to pay for me…" he huffed. Beside him, Zexion mumbled something like, "I'll pay for you." And of course, having very keen ears Demyx happily jumped at the slate haired boy. "Oh Zexy! You're the best!"

"Thanks for the offer, but I can pay for myself." Roxas spoke as he watched the red head put his change into his wallet, bite into the apple and picked up his other foods.

"Shanks." He replied with an apple in his mouth to the lady who continued to seem bored out of her mitts.

After Demyx and Zexion paid and caught up, they went over to their spot. During the walk, Axel made slurping sounds while he tried to eat the apple with the help of a soda can.

"Let me hold that, you idiot." Roxas offered after hearing enough slurping from the red head.

"Thanks a bunch. I thought I was about to drop it." He smiled, letting the blond take away the soda can as he used his now free hand to take the fruit from his mouth, licking it as well.

"Yeah well, I couldn't handle anymore of the slurping." He laughed.

"Hah, I'm sure there's more than _that_, that you couldn't handle." Axel smirked as he bit into the apple again.

"Stop tooting your own horn Axel."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll stop embarrassing you now. Anyways, what have _you_ got for lunch?"

"I got yoghurt and a roast beef sandwich." He replied as he thought back to what his mother said in the morning. "_Be good boys and finish all your food! You're all growing boys!"_

"Sounds yummy…" he almost drooled. "I haven't had home-made foods in a while. Wanna trade?" he asked as he took a huge chunk of the apple in one bite.

"What?! You wanna trade your $15 meal for my lunch?!" his voice almost cracked.

"Why not? You win a nice lunch, and _I_ win a nice lunch. We both win! Hoorah!" he laughed and then finished the rest of the apple. "Apple's gone though." He added.

"Err, I don't think it's a fair trade." He reasoned as he watched the red head throw the apple into a bin.

"Score one for me." He smirked and then opened the can of soda. "The soda is mine though. Is that good enough?"

"No, I still don't think that's fair. The lunch box is $10!"

"Yes it is! Home-made food is made with LOVE! I want a home-made lunch, you want cafeteria food!" he swung his arm around, spilling a little of the soda out.

"I never said I wanted cafeteria food." He reasoned.

"But you said it was expensive, therefore you couldn't afford it."

"I never said I couldn't afford it." He pouted. "Are you saying I'm poor?!"

"Err, no. No! I never said anything like that! Nope, no sir-ree."

"But you implied it!"

"I didn't mean it!"

"Would you both shut your yap?! I'm trying to sleep here!" A blonde girl shouted out as she unwillingly sat up from her spot under the tree.

"Opps, sorry Larxene." Roxas apologized, not realizing they've already arrived.

"No need to apologize to her Roxy, she's always pms-ing." Axel offered, not noticing a book coming towards his head. His head lurched forward on impact and he spilled a good percentage of his soda out. "Hey! Watch what you throw bitch!"

"Watch what you say, fucktard!" she growled out and laid back down.

"Geez…" he gingerly rubbed his head, ignoring the guffaws coming from a certain 'pirate'.

After rubbing his head, he joined Roxas who sat by the tree, rummaging in his bag for whatever. "Ah…so, what do you say about that trade?"

"No deal…It's not worth it for you." He replied as he pulled out a small tub of yoghurt from his bag, peeled off the plastic cover and licked it.

"Yes it is, come on Roxas." He begged as he watched the blond continue to lick the cover. 'Lucky thing…What I wouldn't give…'

"Nope, not good enough."

Axel groaned and nearly sunk his head in defeat, but a thought occurred to him and he smirked sinisterly. "You _have_ to trade with me."

"I have no right to." He shrugged and savored the sweetness of his yoghurt.

"Oh yes you do."

"Why's that?"

"Because _I'm_ taking you to the concert and _you_ agreed to go with me, therefore you _can't_ refuse and you _must _trade your lunch with me in order for it to all equal out. Aye, savvy?" he reasoned, while Xigbar being an eavesdropper heard the last part of the conversation and shouted out, "Aye, aye captain!"

"What?! How does it all equal out?!"

"It just does! Now gimme your lunch and be done with it!" he shouted as he shoved his lunch box to Roxas.

"Fine!" he begrudgingly took it and handed the sandwiches to the red head. "I have no idea how your logic work sometimes."

"I'm just brilliant that way." He smiled as he peeled the wrapper from the sandwich and took a big bite out of it. "Man, this is good." He looked like he was in complete euphoria.

"Yeah well, it should be. It's my favorite." Roxas finished the last of his yoghurt and started on the lunch box that Axel gave him. He pulled off the pair of chopsticks that was taped to the cover and split it in half. "Anyways, what was that song you sang earlier? The one about a secret."

"Oh, it's just a song I have. What's that about being a flavor of the week?" he asked as he savored the sandwich.

"It's…just a song I have." He finished with a smirk.

"I'll trade for it!" he jumped, looking ridiculous with his mouth full and a crumb on the corner of his mouth.

Meanwhile, close-by but not close enough to have their conversation overheard, Demyx spoke to Zexion. "I think they make a cute couple. What do you think Zexy?" he asked while smiling at Axel and Roxas. The slate-haired boy shrugged in reply.

* * *

Whoo, that was a LOVELY twentieth chapter…What say you?!

Oh, just in case you're wondering, the two songs that Axel and Roxas were on about are called 'Dirty little secrets by the All American Rejects' and 'Flavor of the week by the American High Five'. I think it's either American High Five or the American Hi Fi…I have no idea which, but I think it works out on both ways I guess. Lol.


	21. Discovery

Would've updated sooner, but FF (dot) net went on a fritz and I couldn't log in...Lol, so yeah...Anyways! Woot! Chapter 21! TWENTY ONE! THE BIG TWO-ONE!! DRINKS ALL AROUND!!

Crazydrawinggirl – No I haven't!! But I'm gonna check it out! Sounds awesome. Lol.

Xpoisprdcx – Oh my gosh! Another reviewer that likes to write out heaps! Lol. But you kept on reading till 4.30am?! Wow man, bravo!! You don't like Sora as a brother? I wonder why…Personally, I didn't know what's Sora's relation to Roxas would be other than a cousin/brother…Damn, you almost stopped reading because of that? Shit…Lol, but I'm so glad you kept on going! Go you!! As for the ending, I think it's still a long ways away…I mean damn man, it's just so hard to NOT skip any day of this story! Lol…oh poo…Oh wells Lol, my other stories are crap…personally…Lol…I love getting reviews, they make me happy, so I don't mind much if it's really short or really long.

LupinandHarry – Luxord is the SHIT bro! I would SO love to play poker with him. Lol.

X fuji X – No comment on your assumptions for this chapter. Lol, just read on my dear. But you can keep on dreaming if it makes you feel better. Lol.

Aryna.Tahashi – My friend told me that Zexion's weapon is a book…I cannot bloody believe that…geez man…Can't…what's his name? Nobuo? Oh whatever…can't he like…give Zexion a better weapon? I mean, come on man, a bloody book?! Hit them over the head with a hard cover book…Give 'em a coma…Lol…

CantTakeU – Lol! Another account. I don't wanna make another account…I WOULD but well…just too lazy I guess…Lol. I will definitely read your story! Don't you worry about that.

Launch shinra – Brilliant!! I was known as the 'boy-basher' back in the old days of…intermediate or whatever, only because well you know…I care about my friends, they get teased, I get angus…BWAHAHAA…So I beat 'em up. Ya mess with them? Ya mess with me, ya get?! So anyways, lol, I was digressing…I volunteered to take self defense classes in intermediate and all the guys in my class were like 'OH NOOO!!' Lol, hilarious bro, hilarious!

Erinicole12 – Waa…you want my help? MY help?!? I think I suck man!! You should ask better writers, not me. Lol, but I WILL have a read at your story! No worries about that bro.

Honestly bro! I'm shocked nobody requested a story! But oh wells, less work for me! Lol. Offer has expired…Lol!

* * *

"Axel, if this was an experiment, the whole class would blow up." Roxas sighed as he looked over the work that the red head did.

"Ohh, I like fire…"

"Pay attention Axel." he tapped the book in front of him with a pencil.

"Right…"

"You forgot to carry the two over to this equation here." He pointed out as he rubbed off the mistake and drew an arrow and placed a number by the symbols.

"This sounds like math." He groaned as he banged his head on the table.

"It's not that different." He reasoned.

"It's _completely_ different!" he waved his arms madly about, barely missing the head of their science teacher, Vexen. "It's like…saying that French fries go with ice cream!"

"And your point?" he quirked up an eyebrow at the red head.

"Eh?" he froze and turned to stare at the blond.

"I'll have you know that French fries _do_ go nicely with ice cream."

"But-but-but it's sweet and salty!" he sputtered and cried out.

"It's like sea salt ice cream! It's sweet _and_ it's salty. Now pay attention." He sighed and turned back to the pages in front of him.

"Ugh…whatever."

"Ok, so you substitute this form and then you change it over, carry this term from here to here and it'll equal to this. Are you even paying attention?!"

"Yes, mother…" he sighed again.

"Don't call me that." He shuddered. "Teaching you science is like teaching Larxene not to swear. Impossible I tell you."

"Hey, hey. Don't give up on me just yet."

"I wouldn't if you were paying the slightest bit of attention." He rolled his eyes and threw the pencil back on the table.

"What?" he picked up the pencil and started on a new equation. "You just do this and this and this and it's all done!"

"That's not even-" he looked over the equation again and stared at the red head with an open mouth. "That's…right…The handwriting's a bit messy, but it's still right…"

"See! I _am_ paying attention!" he huffed and crossed his arms.

"You did it, I can't believe you did it. Ten minutes ago, you didn't even know what CO2 was, and now you're doing equations! Congratulations Axel!" he gave the red head a hearty pat on the back.

"Cool, do I get a kiss?" he puckered up his lips and leaned in.

"No." his smile disappeared and he shoved the book into Axel's face. "Now do the rest of the exercise."

"Aww…that sucks."

"Stop complaining and do it. The more you do, the better you get, the easier it'll be." He reasoned as he began his own work.

After five minutes of silence from the red head, Roxas was in a steady pace of completing the exercises given from the teacher. But of course, the silence didn't last long.

"Err…Roxas? What's H2O?"

"H2O is hydrogen hydroxide commonly known as water." He rolled his eyes. 'Who in their right mind doesn't know what H2O is…?'

"I thought H2_GO_ was water." He imagined a water bottle with the label on it. "What's H2GO then?"

Roxas slapped his forehead and shouted out, "It's a gimmick!!"

"Oh…Ok then." He turned back to the exercises in front of him.

Roxas sighed and tried to get back his concentration, but it flew out of the window when he met Axel.

"What's a gimmick?" the red head asked.

Roxas thumped his head on the table. Repeatedly.

When the class was over, finally, Roxas had a red mark on his forehead, and Axel, for the first time in the school year, completed his science exercises and learned something out of it.

"I feel like I've accomplished something today." Axel grinned from ear to ear as he strolled out of the class, scaring the kids away because they thought he looked menacing.

"I feel like I've lost half of my brain capacity…" Roxas groaned as he walked with his shoulders slumped.

"Won't you die from that?"

"Don't know, but if your brain doesn't get enough oxygen, you can either die, or be stuck in a vegetative state. Some people call it 'brain-dead'."

"That sounds nasty…" he winced.

"Yeah well…" he gave a half hearted scoff as he gingerly rubbed his forehead.

"Anyways, about tonight. Do you wanna eat _before_ or _after_ the concert?"

"What you're asking doesn't make sense. Of course you eat _before_ the concert or else your stomach would complain at the lack of food." He spoke as he continued walking down the hallway, avoiding bumping into people.

"My dear little Roxy." He began, swinging his arm around and placing it on the blonds' shoulder who protested, "Don't call me little." And with a quick movement, made Axel's arm drop away from its spot.

"I pick you up at let's say, six-ish. That'll be too early for dinner, don't you think? Besides, we gotta get there fast if we wanna get a good spot." Roxas had opened his mouth to object, but Axel continued on talking, "And then the concert ends at let's say, around nine-ish, which is a good time because that's when I eat _my _dinner." He spoke as he turned a corner, never minding that it was the wrong way.

"I eat dinner at 6…Where are you going by the way?"

"That early? Woah…"

"You eat your dinner too late in the night."

"I'm heading to the art room, I left my folder behind. Anyways, I digress. I had hoped that you'd pick eating _after_ the concert. That way I can take you to a nice little café."

"Eating at 9 is far too late for me." He followed the red head who was going down an art-filled corridor. "I've never been around here before."

"It's the art department, mainly students who take art as a subject come down here. How about a compromise."

"Here goes another one of your bright ideas." He mumbled as he stared at some pictures that hung on the wall, knowing that it's not really a compromise on Axel's behalf.

"_You_ can eat _your_ dinner at your usual time, and then _after_ the concert, I'll take you to the café and you can get a snack or whatever."

"It's best if I get home before 10pm."

"No sweat, I'll get you home by ten." He came up to his classroom and opened the door, "After you."

"Thanks…You better get me home by then, or else it's no more outings on school nights." He turned the corner and halted abruptly.

"Says you or your parents?" the red head asked, stopping beside the blond who seemed to be gaping at something.

"Both…" or someone.

"Err…" he followed Roxas' gaze and it fell upon two figures that were kissing in the corner. "Ok, looks like we came at a bad time." The red head started, then hastily added, "I don't need my folder, let's go to your locker." He spoke with sheer optimism.

"Yes, lets!" he was glad for the change of subject and quickly walked out after the red head.

Once the two intruders left the room, a certain dirty haired blond and slate haired boy broke free from their kiss. "You think we scared them?" Demyx asked.

"Who cares…" he growled out and went back in to capture the blonds' lips.

"Mmhmm." He smiled into the kiss.

Axel had tripped over his shoes when they were trying to flee the art-filled hallway back to the main part of the school. Roxas would've laughed but the image of Demyx and Zexion kissing were still fresh in his mind.

"Ok so tell me…" Roxas started, feeling as though the place got hot all of a sudden.

"Hmm?" he pulled at the neck hem of his t-shirt.

"Is it true that all emos are gay?"

"For the record...I'm not gay."

"Oh sorry." He apologized, 'I thought you said you were?' he thought to himself, not wanting to speak out his thoughts to prevent the situation from getting more embarrassing.

"I'm bi…"

This time it was Roxas who tripped over his footing, "It's not something you should brag about." He felt his face grow hot at the re-discovery of Axel's gender orientation.

"I'm not bragging, I'm clarifying..."

"Right, right. Ok, whatever." He laughed it off and slapped himself mentally.

"What about you?" he asked suddenly, wanting to continue this line of conversation.

"I told you. I'm straight!" he yelled out by accident, attracting the attention of what little students that was in the hallway, and his face grew redder.

"Haven't you been bi-curious before?" he asked, liking the shade of color on Roxas' cheeks.

"What? No!" he exclaimed as he turned to face the red head with a look of shock.

"Haven't you been curious before?"

"I tend to think of it as curiosity killed the cat."

"Oh now, that's no fun!" Axel chuckled, ignoring all the glances that were being shot his way. "What's the point in life if you don't experiment and live life a little eh?"

"What's the point in life if you end up dying because of your curiosity?" he pointed out, trying to push himself through the main hallway.

"Good point, but you're not actually gonna die for being gay or bi." Again, his words attracted several eyes.

"No, but my parent's might."

"Oh true, you're a church boy." A passing girl laughed at the comment.

"Yes, if you wanna put it that way." His blush returned.

"Ah, religions, religions." He waved his hand about, his comment earning a glare from the blond. "I don't wanna live my life like there's gonna be a 'higher being' that's gonna judge me for everything I do." He quoted. "Personally, that's just no fun."

"You think too much about it. It's not like there's gonna be someone actually watching you constantly, day-in and day-out." He pointed out as he walked up to his locker.

"Hey, call me paranoid. Besides, don't you need to commit yourself into your religion or whatever?"

"I guess, I mean, I'm still a normal kid though." He spoke as he started twisting the knob of his combination locker.

"Yeah, but I'm just saying. Aren't there hang-out groups that you have with other members of your holy society or whatever?" he asked as he took his usual spot by Roxas' locker.

"Right…If you're talking about life groups, then yeah. We have those, but only my mum goes. Sometimes my dad goes too, but most of the time he's either at work or watching the news on TV." He squinted his eyes at his lock and growled at it after it failed to open for the second time.

"And what about you?"

"I'm not a big believer, but I still know what I can and can't do." Finally, he managed to get it unlocked. He swung the door open and began taking out books to take home.

"So, you don't believe in the higher being?"

"Oh I do, I'm just not that committed." After checking that he's got all he needs, he closed the locker and turned to Axel. "Right, see you at six-ish then." He smirked.

"Yup, see you later Roxy." He smirked as he ruffled up the blonds' hair as he walked off.

"How many times-" he started as he smacked away the red head's hand.

"As many as I want." He continued his smirk as he threw a wave back to Roxas. "Catch ya later Roxy."

"Yeah, yeah." Just as he combed back his hair with his fingers, his brother ran up to him.

"Roxas! Do you know what time it is?! We've missed the bus!" the brunet shouted out as he stopped in front of the blond.

"Er…opps?" he laughed nervously and scratched his head.

"Opps? OPPS?! Is that all you can say? Opps?!" he blew up, "You know that my favorite show in on at the exact time we get home!"

"I'm sorry! I got carried away." He put up in hands in defense. 'Angry Sora is not a happy Sora…'

"Roxas…If I miss that episode, I will hit you with a keyblade." Sora stepped forward menacingly, the blond gulped and took a step back, a nervous smile still playing on his lips.

"Now, now Sora, it's only a cartoon. There's bound to be repeats!"

"It's not the same!" he pleaded. "The moment would've been gone! GONE WITH THE WIND I TELL YOU!!" he dramatically fell to his knees.

"Ok, ok! If we run, we can still catch it!" Roxas reasoned as he looked at his watch, 'It's risky, but if we're lucky, we'll make it.'

"You think so?" he glanced at his watch. 'Yeah, we can make it.'

"We're both good runners, so how about a race? You win, you get your cartoon and I'll make you a sandwich as an apology. Ok?"

"Ready!" he shot up to his feet and got into a running position.

"Set!"

"GO!" they shouted and bounded towards the door, dodging the other students and rounding the corners easily. When they got to the door, they flew over the steps and continued on running past the school front gates.

"How're you holding up bro?" Sora shouted out as he turned a sharp corner, narrowly missing the pole that was there. "Watch out!"

"Doing pretty good so far!" Roxas laughed as he came up to the corner and jumped, rebounding off the post with a kick.

"Nice one."

"Hah." He tried to laugh, but it came out as a half-pant.

After a few more minutes of non-stop running, they turned another corner and saw that the bus was still there, with two more people climbing on board.

"We've made it!" the blond panted as he started to jog instead.

"Hallelujah!" Sora exclaimed as he jogged along side his brother.

"Told you we'd make it. You panicked for no reason." His breath was coming by shorter as they got in line behind the last person.

"Admit that you were scared of me." He laughed as he held onto Roxas' shoulder for balance.

"Me? Scared of you? Puh-leeze." They laughed as they got on the bus, ignoring all the stares from the other students.

* * *

Yay! An excellent Sora and Roxas brotherly moment. Sigh…I've been wanting to do one of those for a while. Hehe.

I was just reading the first chapter of this story again, and I think it was quite, HORRIBLE! It wasn't good enough to get people's attention! Seriously, dude. It only got good after the…what? Second or third chapter? Yeah, probably…


	22. Honk, honk

Dum-de-dum! Just a note from me, another random note. I'm EXTREMELY proud out of my knickers at this story. It's filled with all my heart and soul…Although most of it was impromptu, some of it was still planned! Woohoo!

Woohoo! 50 alerts for this story! (Cries my little heart out…)

Aryna.Tahashi – Lol, so reserved yet forceful at times, Zexion, you are one confusing guy.

CantTakeU – Oh dear! How did you get sun burnt?? Is the weather really sunny there? Did you go to the beach? Was the sunburn worth it? Lol!

AcidTart – I know! Brotherly moments are so cool!! I wish I had a big brother…

Crazydrawinggirl – I fall over whenever I run like crazy…Lol. Oh poo…

WGreyB – Aww…I feel so very happy that it was your favorite part…Not many people say which part is their favorite, and it's now _my_ favorite part too! Lol.

Conductor of Darkness – People say they will gimme cookies, but I have yet to receive them…Boo…

X fuji X – I think his logic confuses me a LOT of the time. As soon as I'm done, I'm like going, wtf? Lol.

Launch shinra – Whee!! Happy Belated Birthday!! And I completely agree on the sober part. I see my friends do the craziest things…They laugh at absolutely nothing…Really weird if you ask me. Lol. At least you've got _some_ brother/sister moments. I've got 6 sisters and 2 brothers and I got NADA!! Pretty shit if you ask me. Lol…I want a big brother…Boo…

Suyiro Motsuko – Waah!! 3.30am!! Good on ya, my sister conked me on the head twice for staying up till 5am once, never tried it again. It was a holiday though!!! Lol. I love the summary too, muahaha! The longer the better you say? We'll see about that! (insert evil laugh)

* * *

"Hey Sora, what do you think of this?" Roxas asked as he held a white collared t-shirt in front of himself. 

"Hmm…" he scratched his cheek in thought. "I'm not too sure…" he spoke as he started rubbing his chin. "It kind of makes you look…out of place. Especially since this is a concert."

"Come on Sora…How 'out of place' will I be anyways?" he sighed as he threw the shirt onto the bed and walked over to his cupboard and started rummaging through it.

"How about this one instead?" he asked as he pulled out a plain black t-shirt from the closet that had a black and white checkered pattern across the chest.

"Cool, you reckon this could go with that?" the blond wondered as he held up a black button-up shirt.

"Wouldn't know until you try it." Sora grinned toothily and tossed the item over to the blond. "You should wear this belt. It goes with the theme." He spoke as he held up a long checkered belt.

"What theme? Checkers?" he scoffed as he pulled off the shirt he was wearing now in exchange for the black shirt instead.

"Your fashion statement."

"Which is what?" his head popped out of the neck hole of the shirt and he pulled on the other shirt but left the buttons undone.

"Not everything is black and white."

"Nicely said." Roxas laughed as he placed on his black and white finger rings on his right hand while the checkered pattern wrist band was on his left. He took the belt that his brunet counterpart was holding up and tugged it around his pants before fastening the buckle. "I think I'm ready."

"Not without this you're not." He smiled as he swung around an x-shaped pendant with sharp arrows on each edge.

"Of course." he took the chain from his brother's hand and pulled it down from his head. "So, how do I look?" he asked as he stood in front of Sora.

"Like a color-blind idiot." He grinned as he gave a thumb's up, leaning on the closet door as he did so.

"Gee, thanks a lot bro." he gave a lop-sided smile. "Now, all I gotta do is wait for Axel to pick me up." He walked over to the table and picked up his wallet and phone, placing each into separate pockets of his trousers.

"Sounds like a date."

"It's not a date. Just a concert." Roxas spoke as he plopped himself on his bed.

"Yeah well, people might think otherwise." the brunet pushed himself off the closet door and took a seat by his blond counterpart.

"Like who? I don't care. Like that saying goes," he cleared his throat and began reciting in a voice of authority. "Those who care, don't matter. Those who matter, don't care."

"Man," he laughed, "You and your sayings." He gave a playful punch to the shoulder.

"It's part of who I am." He joined in the laughter and returned the punch.

"Yeah…" he continued to laugh but his smiled soon took a turn downhill and he furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Hey Roxas?"

"What's up?"

"What if…I told you I was-" he started, but was interrupted by a phone call.

"Ignore it," he waved it off and looked at his brother who seemed troubled. "What did you wanna say?"

"I…I um…" he swallowed and licked his slightly chapped lips, drawing in a breath as he did so before sighing. "I think you should get that." He spoke as he pointed at the pocket of the blonds' trousers.

Roxas growled and begrudgingly picked up his mobile. "Hello?"

While his brother was in a phone conversation, Sora couldn't help but re-think through his thoughts. 'Maybe it's just me…'

"Yeah, I got it. See you later." He clicked on the end button and placed the item back into his pocket. He looked up to see his brother looking more troubled than he was before. "Sora? What's wrong? You know you can tell me anything right?"

"Yeah, I know. I just-" he sighed. "I just…" he looked away and ran his fingers through his unruly hair.

"What? You just what?" he placed a comforting hand on Sora's shoulder, in hopes that it might coax him into talking.

'I can't do this, it'll ruin Roxas' night out…I'll tell him some other day.' He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I just, can't believe that _look_ on your face!" he burst into a fit of guffaws.

"Sora!" he pouted. "You're hiding something." He poked the said person on the chest.

"_Am_ not, I wanted to see if my brother truly cares for me." He wiped away a tear from his eye.

"Well, you _know_ I care for you. Whatever happens between us, stays between us. Ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got cha. Who knew I have a sap for a brother?"

"Pssh." He waved off the comment and stood up. "I gotta go, I think my ride's here."

"Ok then. Tell me all about it when you get home ok?"

"Sure." He smiled and walked over to the door. "See you later bro."

"Yup, be safe!" he smiled and waved back but as soon as Roxas was out the door, his smile faded and his arm drooped back to his sides. 'Yeah…maybe it's just me…'

* * *

Roxas quickly tugged his shoes on and shouted his exit to his parents. "Bye, mum! Bye dad! I'll be home by 10! I promise!" 

"Bye Roxas, be safe! Don't talk to strangers!" his mother shouted back, stepping out of the kitchen with a wash cloth while his father gave a grunt of a farewell.

He smiled before waving and walking out of the house to see a black Toyota Integra. He whistled at the sight and noticed the window rolling down.

He was greeted by a familiar face behind dark shades. "Yo Roxas. Hustle, hustle." He smirked as he tilted his head down and lowered his glasses just a bit, exposing cheeky jade eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." He laughed at the sight and walked up to the car. "What did you do? Steal this car or something?" he smirked as he opened the door and got inside.

"Again, I am absolutely _hurt_ by your comments." He feigned a smile of sadness as he placed a hand over his heart.

"Get over yourself drama queen and get driving." Roxas commanded with a smirked as he pulled his seatbelt on.

"Aye-aye captain." The red head saluted the blond before pulling the handle into first gear and driving off.

Unbeknownst to the two departing figures, a lone individual sat by a window and watched them fade into the distance. "Have fun, Roxas…"

Meanwhile, in the car, Roxas sat silently and watched the scenery pass by in a blur. While Axel chanced a glance towards the blond whenever he can.

"Looking nice tonight." He commented as he pushed the clutch and went into second gear.

"It _is_ a concert after-all. Had I worn what I wanted to wear, I'd stick out like a sore thumb." He joked as he examined the red head. "What's with the shades?"

"It's to look cool," Axel smirked as he pushed the brake and pulled back to first gear for a red light. "In front of you." He clicked his tongue and wiggled his eyebrow up and down, making Roxas crack up in laughter.

"For an emo, you sure do care a lot of what people think of you." he spoke as he wiped away a tear from his eye and chuckled.

"Roxas, Roxas. I don't care what _other_ people think." He waved his hand about. "I only care about what _you_ think." He added as he regarded the blond beside him.

"Oh, I'm so flattered." He spoke sarcastically, rolling his eyes and facing out the window before including a genuine note, "Really I am." His smirk slowly turned into a smile as he noticed another car coming up beside them.

"Yeah, you should be. I don't say things like this to everybody I meet." Seeing the lights turn back to green, he pushed the clutch and pulled the car into first gear.

"Good, 'cause if you did, you would've gained the reputation for an emo that's got a way with words."

"I wouldn't mind, if it gets your attention." he pulled the handle to second gear and released the clutch.

"Oh puh-lease, you wouldn't care about me after you got popular with the girls." Roxas hoped he didn't sound as sad as he thought he would be.

"Not true, not true. Girls are too…what's that word…squealy, if you get what I mean. I prefer guys over girls." He spoke as he signaled and turned into the highway, shifting to third gear at the same time.

"…Ok, now you're scaring me." He quirked up and eyebrow and gave a look of mild worry and shock.

"Hey, I'm just sayin'." He smirked as he shrugged as he pulled into fourth gear. "Let's change the subject. What did you have for dinner?"

"Er…I had…steak and mash potatoes with steamed broccoli." He spoke as he thought back to his previous meal.

"How do you like them steaks cooked?" he asked as he braked and pulled the handle back to third gear before signaling and going into the fast lane.

"Err…dunno?" he shrugged and turned his head to the ceiling in thought. "Medium well I guess."

Axel nodded, "No desserts?" he inquired as he changed into fourth gear.

"I don't normally have desserts at home unless we're out for dinner or whatever." He spoke as he subconsciously held onto his seatbelt.

"I see, I see. Not spoiled much are ya?" he chuckled.

"I don't like to be spoiled. It might turn me into a brat."

The red head suddenly burst out in laughter. "Getting spoiled a bit isn't gonna turn you into a brat. What in the world made you think that?" he asked as he shifted to fifth gear.

"Dunno." He shrugged. "Just me I guess."

"You are one interesting kid." He chuckled as he sped up.

"You're one crazy driver. Could you slow down? You're already 15km over the limit!" he raised his voice as he grabbed the door and the glove compartment for dear life.

"Hey, you gotta live life a little." He laughed and sped up a bit more and shifted to sixth gear.

"Axel! That's 25km over the limit! Slow down already!" his hand shot up to the handle above his head.

"Come on, don't be a baby."

"Hey! I don't wanna die just yet!"

"You're not gonna die." He smirked and reasoned, "I do this all the time."

"That's 35 over the limit! Ok Axel, I've lived the life, now can you _please_ slow down?" he begged.

"Ok, ok. Fine." He sighed with a smirk and shook his head. "Looks like you're still living in that little box of yours."

"Whatever." After the red head slowed down to the speed limit, he dropped his hand from the glove compartment and turned his head to face out the window. His face scowling.

"Don't tell me you're angry…are you?" he asked, giving a side-ways glance to the blond who was facing away from him. "Roxas?" he furrowed his eyebrows in worry.

"Don't…" he spoke softly. Not quite in an angry tone, but it was somewhat implied.

Axel sighed silently. Aware that he crossed the line. He was about to open his mouth with an apology but Roxas continued.

"Don't…do that again…What if you get caught?"

He smirked, "I never-"

"Yeah, but _what_ _if_?!" he shouted and turned to glare at the red head who gave a look of complete shock. Roxas' blue eyes radiating with irritation, glistening with fury. If Axel wasn't in such a state of shock, he would've thought it was sexy. But the red head thought Roxas was sexy regardless.

"Err…" he started. 'Holy fuck, did _I_ just think Roxas was _sexy_?!'

"Keep your eyes on the road." He growled out as he turned back to the window.

"Right…" he suppressed a gulp and faced the road, watching his speed and driving carefully. Just so it wouldn't anger the blond again.

Once they got off the highway and stopped at a red light, Axel took a chance and looked over at the blond who was still looking out the window. And from the reflection, he could tell that he was still scowling his pretty face away.

He sighed, "Look Roxas. I'm sorry ok? I won't do it again."

Roxas remained silent as he tapped his fingers on his pants.

"I promise."

"You don't have to promise anything. Five or 10km over the limit is fine," he paused before abruptly turning to glare at the red head once more. "But you were going at 135 or more!"

"Hey, I could've gone-" he smirked, hoping that Roxas would chill down, but it had the opposite effect.

"I don't _care_ how much you can go up to. The speed limit is there for a freaking reason!"

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry!" he held his hands up in defense with a nervous look. 'Fuck, I better make a note not to get Roxas angry in the future.'

"Geez…" he sighed angrily and balanced his chin on his closed fist that was placed on the window sill.

Axel glanced outside and noticed that the light was still red before turning back to the blond. "Roxas, I'm really, really-"

"You know…"

Axel suppressed another gulp. "Yeah?"

"That's the first apology I've heard you say." He turned around and smiled at the red head. "The first one was a total flop."

"Yeah, I know." He laughed and scratched his mane of red hair. "You really had-" he was interrupted by a honk from the car behind due to the fact that the lights turned green not five seconds ago. "Oh shit!" he shifted to first gear and released the clutch, unfortunately he also tried to drive away at the same time, which in turn, killed the engine. "Oh fuck!"

Roxas was roaring with laughter.

* * *

Yeah, Axel drives a manual. Manual is sexeh...Lol. 


	23. Punks and Wannabe's

I almost choked on a candy…My candy…Why have you betrayed me…WHY?!

Oh I know why, 10k hits…HOLY MOTHER OF…

Suyiro Motsuko – Gasp…Too short?! (Cries…) Anyways! I would so wanna race with Axel…See who's a better driver! Booyah!

RoraShigoto – Lol! Yes…Sexeh Axel driving a manual…(Drool…) But damn! 3am just for an update? I'm so touched…(cries)

WGreyB – Lol, you think that's fast? Believe you me…There are speeds at which you can travel down the empty country road which will never be heard of…But my former teacher drove his bike and got it up to 200 something. Or was it 300? I don't remember…Lol.

Anya Urameshi – Lol, I was laughing like an idiot too.

Shadow of Darkness 22 – Thank you, thank you. (Feels so loved.)

Conductor of Darkness – Yum…chocolate cookies…(eats with much delight.) Cookies…

Erinicole12 – Lol, yeah, but you know, you get in a car, the driver goes _way_ over the limit. Wouldn't you be scared shitless? Especially when it's your first time too. Lol.

Aryna.Tahashi – I found it hilarious. Lol. But yeah, in the end, they made up eh? So that's gotta count for something.

Crazydrawinggirl – Glad you love it. So many people laughed about it. Even me when I was typing it out. Lol.

Launch shinra – Lol, he'd probably scream out that it wasn't a date. Lol. Good luck for your exams, hope you get the results you want!! Total stress out bro…Anyways, I'm number six in the family…Lol, I'm err…taller than my second, third and fifth sister, but I'm shorter than the rest. Lol.

Aniki Studio – Yeah bro, tell me about it. Lol.

* * *

Finding a parking close by the venue of where the concert was held was like finding a needle in a haystack. You _think_ you see it, but it's not there. And when you _think_ you've found it, it slips away by accident. Metaphorically speaking…

But then again…who would actually wanna play a game like that? It could poke your eye out!

After another ten minutes of going around the same block, they finally found one.

"Fuck, I think I just wasted ten bucks worth of petrol." Axel cursed as he turned the engine off and relaxed into his seat.

"I told you to just go into those car park buildings. It's there for a reason."

"Hell no. They overcharge like crazy! If you're over the time by even _just_ a minute, they add an extra five or ten bucks! It's so not worth it!"

"You just wasted ten bucks on petrol, tell me which is worse."

He sighed and gave in, "…Wasting petrol is worse…Gasoline is expensive these days."

"Yeah, it went up quite a bit this week."

"Alrighty, let's get out and get in line." He spoke as he opened the door and climbed out while Roxas followed suit.

When they first arrived, the concert line was crowded with teenage kids of all shapes and sizes and groups. Most of them were the emo or the rocker types. "How long do you reckon it'll take for us to get in?" Roxas asked as he stood behind the last person beside Axel.

"Hmm…" he looked at the crowd in front of him and tried to guess the time. "By the looks of it, I'd say…ten minutes?"

"Ok, that's not too bad." He reasoned as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "At least it's not for half an hour."

"Yeah, at least the line is moving pretty fast."

Twenty nine minutes, forty five seconds later…We find a disgruntled looking Roxas and a bored Axel.

"You said ten minutes…" the blond growled out as he took a step closer to the front doors. The girl attendant collecting tickets while a tall looking, power-built bouncer stood just behind her. "Tickets please…Thank you very much…Enjoy the show." From her voice, she sounded pretty nice.

"I said _about_ ten minutes. I didn't exactly say it's actually gonna _be_ ten minutes."

"Tickets please." They both heard the attendant say.

"Yeah well, could've fooled me…" Roxas scoffed as he took another step closer.

"Pssh…could've fooled _anyone_."

A rip was heard and then the girl's voice again. "Thank you very much. Enjoy the show."

"At least we're getting there." Axel spoke as he scratched his forehead. "There's only like…five more people in front of us."

"Yuh-huh…That's what you said about five minutes ago." Roxas yawned, covering his mouth as he did so.

"Hey! How the heck was _I_ supposed to know that people were saving places for _other_ people! I thought they only do that in junior high." He reasoned and pouted, folding his arms and stomping his foot on the ground. "Cheaters…"

Roxas couldn't suppress a chuckle at the sight of the red head.

"Tickets please." Normally, the ripping of the paper would be heard here, but…"I'm sorry sir, I can't accept this ticket."

Axel stuck his head out to see what was going on, while Roxas had to jump up and down.

"This isn't a real ticket sir. There's no watermark." She held out the ticket for the guy to take back.

"What? I bought this ticket at the ticket stand!" he grabbed the ticket out of the girl's hand and waved it in her face.

"I'm sorry sir, but this isn't a real ticket." She apologized. "I can't let you in."

"Oh fuck that bitch, let me in right-" he stopped and gulped when the bouncer took a step forward.

"I must ask you to leave. Sir…" he spoke with a voice of authority, lifting up his shades just a bit.

"Tch…cheap-skates. All of ya." The man scowled and walked away, his hands in his pockets.

The blond girl sighed with relief and turned to the guy beside her. "Thanks so much Rude. I wouldn't know what to do without you." She smiled and bowed her thanks.

"No problem Alice." He nodded, and normally he would've taken a step back but he stayed beside her.

Roxas watched the man walk away, kicking a can in anger, turning back and shooting the middle finger at them before grumbling off again, "Fake…tickets?" he turned to look at Axel.

"Mine are real, in case you didn't know." He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Good. That bouncer, whatever you call them, is pretty scary…"

"That guy?" he stuck a thumb at the said person, "Pssh, he's-"

Roxas stepped up and waved in front of the red head's face. "Axel?"

"Rude!!" the red head shouted out.

"Wha? Sorry, I didn't-" the blond apologized but was cut off when Axel started waving. "Huh?" Roxas turned around to see that they were two people away from the entrance and the tall guy giving a curt wave back. "You know him?"

"Yeah, he's my err…brother's friend."

"You have a brother?" he quirked up an eyebrow in question. "You never told me."

"You never asked." He smirked, "We're almost there." He spoke as he noticed the last person giving the girl named Alice the ticket.

"Thank you very much, enjoy the show."

"Yeah, I've noticed." He rolled his blue eyes and took the last step forward.

"Ok, we're here!" he jumped the last step forward. "Yo Rude, how's it going?"

"It's fine." He nodded and adjusted his glasses.

"Tickets please." The girl named Alice asked.

"Oh right." Axel stuffed his hand into his pocket and came out empty. "Err…" he tried the other pocket. "Hold on just a sec." he spoke as he held up his index finger.

Roxas, who was growing from worried to angry, gave Axel the look that said, 'If you embarrass me here, I will kick your butt…'

"Just kidding!" he shouted as he held out two tickets for the girl. "Nearly got you there didn't I Roxy!" he laughed.

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny Axel…" he rolled his eyebrows and sighed irritably.

"Erm…I'm sorry sir, but I can't accept these tickets." Alice spoke as he gingerly held out the tickets.

"WHAT?!" both Axel and Roxas shouted out.

"Oh my god, I got duped!!" Axel crumpled to his knees.

"Just kidding." She giggled behind her hand and ripped the tickets before returning it to Axel.

"Oh man, ahaha…seriously got me there." The red head laughed nervously. "Phew!" he wiped away the sweat on his forehead.

"Go on in, enjoy the show." She smiled as she waved to them.

"Thanks." Roxas replied as he kicked Axel in the shin and went inside.

"Youch! What the fu-" he held back the curses and limped in after the blond. "Catch ya later Rude!" he gave a curt wave and went into the small hallway, ran/limped up to the blond, grabbed him by the shoulder and held him back. "Yo, what the fuck was that for?" he asked without trying to sound like he's angry.

"Where did you buy those tickets?" he asked suddenly.

"I told you, I bought them at-"

"Don't lie to me!" he shouted, giving Axel's hand a shove away from his shoulder.

He paused, looking into deep blue eyes that radiated more than just anger, it seemed betrayed. "I got them…from a friend of mine."

"Why? Why did you do that?!"

"Ok, firstly, how did you know I-"

"When you said that you got duped. That was a dead giveaway." He looked away from Axel, seemingly ashamed.

"Shit…" he sighed, having the decency to look abashed as he and scratched his head. "He wasn't going to the concert anymore, so he just sold them to me."

"How reliable is he…" he spoke softly, feeling tired.

"Well, considering that it's Demyx…"

"Oh, Demyx…" he blushed, feeling embarrassed. He was so caught up in the fact that Axel bought the tickets from somebody _else_ rather than a ticketing agent, he didn't think who this 'friend' could be. Demyx can be trusted, he _is_ a friend after-all. "Sorry…"

"Eh, no worries. Normally, I'd buy the tickets at a ticket stall, but since Demyx didn't want them…You know." He shrugged.

"Yeah…" more than anything in the world right now, he wanted to scream at his own stupidity. 'You're so stupid! Stupid, stupid, _stupid! _Couldn't you _wait_ before you interrogate him?!' Roxas yelled in his head, oblivious to the stares that the red head was giving him.

"Er Rox…I don't mean to disturb your train of thought, but we're kinda blocking the way." Axel reasoned as he motioned to a group of people waiting to get in after them.

"Opps, right. Sorry." He gave a lop-sided grin as he continued down the hallway into the concert area. He wasn't prepared for the sudden scene of so many people in one spot. The stage was lit up with lights and neon sticks that were being thrown about by concert-goers. The room felt inexplicably warmer than usual. He vaguely concluded that it was the air-con.

Noticing the look of shock and awe from the blond, he took the chance to speak, "First time to a concert?"

"Wha?" he turned his head to Axel even though his eyes were still trained on the countless people in front of him, "Yeah, I guess you could say that." He replied as he turned back.

"Come on, we better try and get a good spot." He dragged the blond by the arm who protested after five seconds of contact.

After reaching a spot where the loudspeakers were situated, Axel released the blond. "Could've been closer but oh wells." He shrugged. "This will just have to make do." He spoke as he pointed up to the sound amplifier.

"Won't it get really loud?" Roxas asked, feeling worried that he might go deaf.

"That's what a concert's all about Rox!" he laughed. "If you want, we can go furtherer away."

"That'll be nice."

"Alrighty then." He started dragging the blond closer to where the stage was and stopped in between them. That way, they were close enough to watch them and listen to them. "This spot good enough for ya?" he asked, feeling mildly proud of himself.

"Yup, good enough for me." He smiled, turning to face the stage and ducking down just in time to dodge a flying neon stick. "Woah!"

"Hah, I forgot to mention that the concerts can get a bit wild." He laughed.

"I kinda got the picture when I first came in." he stood back up and noticed the surroundings growing dimmer.

"Looks like the concert's starting. Can you see?"

"As long as I can hear, I'll be fine." He smiled as he reached down for the blue neon stick that was on the floor. By the time he got back up, there was a loud explosion from the stage and fireworks were illuminating the whole deck. "Cool…"

"Welcome dudes and dudettes to The World that Never Was!" a commentator shouted into the mic that he was holding onto and punching the air in front of him. "We've got an awesome lineup for you tonight, so just sit tight and enjoy the fucking show! Or stand, whatever floats your boats, you shit heads." He laughed while the crowd roared for the start of the concert.

"Does that guy do that a lot?" Roxas asked as he motioned to the commentator with his thumb.

"Yeah, but nobody gives a shit about him. They just want the concert to start." He laughed at the expression on Roxas' face. "GET ON WITH THE FUCKING SHOW!!" Axel shouted out, one hand on the side of his mouth to act as a loudspeaker while the other was punching the air above him.

"First up, we have The Used!" the commentator welcomed the first band and signed himself off.

"Hey guys, good to see you again." The leader of the group spoke as he held up the microphone stand in front of him, the crowd was roaring with yells, cheers and a few cat calls here and there. "Today we'll be singing our newest song, 'The bird and the Worm'."

Once they got the whole band readied and the small group of string players at the back, they started the song.

"He wears his heart safety-pinned to his backpack,

His backpack is all that he knows...

Shot down by strangers whose glances can cripple,

The heart and devour the soul..."

"I am so getting this song." Roxas spoke as he listened to the singer and tried to make out the lyrics. "It's deep…"

"Yeah, tell me about it." He shouted over the music. Ignoring the girl a few yards in front of him screaming, "I love you!!!"

After the song finished and the band dispersed to the back stage, the next band came up and introduced themselves.

"Hey wassup. We're Good Charlotte and we'll be singing to you guys, "Keep your hands off my girl. Ya get?" he shot the crowd the middle finger which only made them shout and scream even more.

"Man this is crazy." Roxas shouted to Axel as he watched the band get themselves ready before starting their music.

"Let the record play,

Let the record play,

Let the record play.

The way that you dance,

The way that you move,

The way that you stare at me across the room."

"You getting this song too?" Axel asked, leaning down to make sure that Roxas heard.

"I would but it's a little vulgar." He reasoned, trying not to bump into the people that were jumping to the rhythm of the music.

"What isn't?" he laughed as he joined in with the crowd. "Keep your hands off my girl!" he sang with the band. "Fuck yeah!"

Roxas couldn't suppress the laugh as he watched Axel, and soon, he joined in as well.

After a good two hours of music and rocking. The concert came to an end and people were storming the stage to try and get autographs, freebies and maybe a couple of photos with their favorite band.

Without trying, Roxas managed to score an autograph CD by Linkin Park. "Awesome!" Roxas shouted as he held out the CD in disbelief.

"You lucky bastard." The red head beside him laughed but patted the blond on the back in congratulations. "How was the concert?"

"That concert was so cool!"

"Yeah, tell me about it." He laughed, happy that Roxas had enjoyed the show. "Let's get out of here before we get trampled." He nudged his head towards the exit and started pushing his way through.

"Hey, wait up!" Roxas shouted out as he tried to keep up with Axel. After being pushed and shoved around countless of times, he managed to get back out of the building. "Geez Axel, couldn't you wait for me?" he panted, not use to the extreme body heat of the crowd. He looked up and found that he was alone. 'Uh oh…' he thought to himself as he looked around, side to side for the red head.

In the rush of the crowd, he hadn't realized that he had lost sight of the red head. He would've gone straight to where Axel had parked, but in the dark of the night, he lost track of all the landmarks he memorized to get from here to there.

"Axel? Axel! Where are you?" he twisted and turned around in all different directions, but the red head was no where to be seen. "Ok, you can come out now! Seriously!"

Roxas took a step back and bumped into somebody, "Opps, sorry about that." He apologized but was given a shove in return.

"Yeah, you better watch it punk." The tall guy with a purple mohawk was about to throw a punch at Roxas when somebody came up from behind.

"He said he was sorry, so fuck off." Roxas looked up to see a glaring Axel.

"Whatever…" he held up his hands and took a step back before retreating down the streets.

Once the man was out of sight, Roxas let out a breath he didn't realize that he had been holding. "Phew…" he looked down to see his hands holding firmly onto his new CD. "Thanks Axel."

"No problem…You might wanna watch it next time."

"Well, I wouldn't have to if you didn't go and run off without me!" he shouted and managed to throw a punch at Axel.

"Hey! I didn't know I had to keep on holding your hand!" he laughed and avoided another punch from a blond who was blushing furiously.

"Shut up Axel!"

"NEVER!!!!" he cried out dramatically and ran off in the direction of where his carw as parked.

* * *

I'm sorry, I could BARELY concentrate on this chapter…I need a break…or at least an energy drink…

Oh yeah, about that signed CD by Linkin Park…I ACTUALLY HAVE IT!! MUAHAHAHA!!!!

Oh and erm…What's….PWP…?


	24. Kupo, Kupo!

Woot! I'm hungry! WHERE'S MY FOOD?!

Whoop de doo!! 200 reviews!! BRING IT AROUND TOWN!!

Launch shinra – Kyaa!! Roxas! Let that gayness show!! Whoop!! I haven't actually been to a real live gig, it was just a lame concert showing on the big screen. Lol. But it was still good I guess. Hell, I don't know what BBF stands for, I know what BFF stands for though. Lol, although I doubt it has anything to do with fanfiction.

Shadow of Darkness 22 – Yay! A concert go-er! Woot woot!

Erinicole12 – Get what, get what? The concert?? Oh! I see!! Me too, me too!! Lol.

Crazydrawinggirl – He's a dramatic person…Lol. But funny though.

WGreyB – Aww, I'm happy the chapter made you happy. But I wish I didn't ask for what PWP stands for…I regret it…

Aniki Studio – (Laughs like a maniac) BWAHAHAA!!! I AM DA BOMB!!

Suyiro Motsuko – Yes an actual signed CD by Linkin Park…It's probable one of my prized possessions. (cries tears of joy) Selling it on eBay for $49.95. Lol, jokes, jokes.

Aryna.Tahashi – Myahahahaa, the signed CD is mine! MINE I TELL YA!! I think Roxas would've put up a good fight, if he wasn't a Christian. Lol…

X fuji X – Oh shit! You found out!! Lol. You should know by know that I update at least twice a week man. Lol.

pride1289 – Lol! You were gone for so long, I thought you abandoned me!! I was so sad I wasn't getting any replies from you…Sniff, sniff. But welcome back!!

Conductor of Darkness – Lol, thank you, thank you. (bows) You are far too kind, as for that candy…Go beat it up! Woot!!! Yeah!!!

PWP stands for…You don't wanna know…Seriously…you _don't_ wanna know…(eye twitches) And here I've thought it had something to do with gaming…not _that_…(eye twitches)

* * *

"Feeling hungry?" a certain red head asked as he continued driving down a semi-crowded street.

"A little, yeah." He replied, looking back and forth from the window to the CD that he held in his hands.

"Good, I'll take you to a café I'm sure you'll love." He smirked as he turned a corner, readjusting his speed as he did so.

"What makes you so positive?" he asked, unable to hide the smirk on his face.

"They have the nicest food you'll ever taste. It practically _melts_ in your mouth." He spoke, looking as though he was about to drool in thought of food.

"Anything tastes nice when you're hungry." He made a half-hearted scoff through his smirk.

His tummy chose this moment to growl, "Yeah, I guess you could say that." He laughed, not feeling remotely embarrassed by the situation.

"So, where are we going?" he asked, looking out the window, barely focusing on the passing landscape.

"To this little quaint café I found last year when I was just driving around the place."

"Mmhmm…What's it called?" he asked as he rested his elbow on the window sill.

"It's called the 'Kupo Kafe'." He started laughing, "You know, when I first found it, I was seriously wondering who's the crazy guy that named it." He turned a corner and lowered his speed. "But the food ain't half bad."

"Hmm…" he took out his phone and looked at the digital clock. '21.16…not much time left…' he suppressed a sigh as he turned back to the window, resting his cheek on his hand.

"I know there's not much time left…" he said suddenly, as if reading Roxas' thoughts. The blond turned his head to look at Axel. "But, you know." He shrugged. "I just want you to go home feeling like tonight was the best damned night ever."

Roxas laughed. "Tonight _is_ already the best night ever. Seriously, thanks Axel."

"Hah, no problem." He pulled the car to a stop just opposite a lively building. "Here we are. Welcome to Kupo Kafe." He laughed at himself, slapping his leg as he did so. "Man, I'll never get use to saying that name."

"Looks weird." He leaned over and peered out Axel's window. "What's with that weird thing with a pom-pom on its head?"

"That, my friend, is called a moogle. The café's mascot if you will." He grabbed the door handle and pulled it opened. "Let's get going. I'm hungry."

"Alright." He placed the CD that he had been holding into the glove compartment before going out the door.

"You know, once, I almost ran over the mascot moogle." He chuckled as he started walking towards the entrance. "It was just randomly jumping around saying shit like 'Kupo! Come visit our café!' and other crap like that." He waved his arms around as he made a mock imitation of the person.

"Well, it _is_ their job." Roxas reasoned as he got up to step with the red head.

"In the middle of the fucking summer too. Must've been like hell." He pushed the door opened and the bells jingled their entry. He held the door open as Roxas walked in after him.

"Yeah, probably. Thanks."

"Kupo! Welcome to Kupo Kafe!" a cheery girl jumped up to them and greeted them with a cheeky smile on her face. "Will you two be dining with us tonight? Oh! Hey Axel!" she waved with a pink glove that had a pom-pom on the hem.

Roxas had to bite the inside of his mouth to keep himself from laughing like a lunatic. The girl was wearing a light pink mixed with white and red uniform, and she even had a large red pom-pom for a headband on her blonde head that kept on going up and down as he jumped and talked. When he looked down, he noticed that she was wearing light pink socks with two pom-poms on each hem and her light pink shoes even had red pom-poms on it. He was sure he tasted copper in his mouth.

"Hey, table for two thanks." Axel spoke casually with a smile on his face as he held up two fingers.

"Kupo! Alrighty! Right this way please!" she skipped her merry way down the café and indicated to them a free table. Roxas noticed that she also had miniature purple bat wings on the back of her uniform. It flapped as he jumped around.

Once Roxas and Axel sat down, she handed them a menu each. "Here's your menus and the special's tonight is Passionfuit Bombe and Three Flavors Sundae!" she grinned widely and also pointed out the special's board on the wall not too far from the table. "There are also many other specials tonight, so feel free to choose! Kupo! I'll be right back to take your order!" she then happily bounced away to another table. But not before shouting out, "Oh! My name's Rikku by the way! I'm only saying that 'cause of the new guy. Kupo!"

Once the girl was gone, and Roxas was sure his eye stopped twitching, he felt it was safe to speak. "Er…What's with this place?"

"You're doing pretty good kid. First time I came in here, I was laughing so hard I almost pissed my pants." He chuckled.

"Right…thanks for the visual…" he rolled his eyes and gave a lop-sided smile.

"Anyways, look at the menu, pick what you wanna eat." Axel spoke as he started scanning through the items of food for possible choices. "Hmm…Those waffles sound pretty good right now. Oh, so does that cheese burger melt…"

Roxas could've sworn that the red head had drooled. He shook his head with a wide smile and looked at the menu as well. "What do you recommend?" he asked as he looked from picture to picture.

"Oh! I know! You can try the first thing I ate when I first came here."

"Which is what?"

"I'll order for ya." He placed the menu down and signaled for Rikku to come over. "Yo Rikku!"

"Coming Axel." She bounded over to them and took out a pad of paper and pen from her white apron. "What cha wanna order? Kupo!"

"I'll take the strawberry waffles and an oreo shake. And Rox will have the…" he signaled for her to lean down as he whispered what the order was. Roxas couldn't help but give a look of puzzlement as the red head whispered into the girl's ear. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was going very angry. But he shook it off. When Axel was done, Rikku was giggling. "Oh Axel, always the charmer." She laughed and jolted down the order. "You're order will be right up! Kupo!" she waved and skipped towards the kitchen.

"Hey Cid! I've gots an order for ya!" she ripped off the order and waved it through the window.

"Oi, oi! I got it, I got it!" a gruff voice was heard from the kitchen and a hand stuck out the window and snatched away the piece of paper.

"Thanks a bunch Cid!" she smiled and went up to the doorway when she heard somebody else come in. "Kupo! Welcome to Kupo Kafe!"

"What was that about?" Roxas asked as he stared at the red head.

"What was what about?" he asked innocently.

The blond pouted, folded his arms and glared. "You know what."

"Getting jealous?" he dragged the last word as he leaned over the table.

"W-What?! No! What makes you think that?!" he sputtered. His face growing red. "Pfft, jealous? No! Of you? No! Heck no, I'm not jealous! Why would I be jealous for?" he hid his face in embarrassment when Axel started cackling and pointing at the blond like an idiot.

"Admit it! You were jealous!"

"No! Am not!" he pouted and looked away. But he couldn't help but slip glances towards the red head who was still laughing like a hyena once every few seconds.

"Yeah, you're straight anyway." He wiped the grin off his face and turned to stare at the blond. "Right?" he added with a smirk.

"Of course!"

"Oh, what a pity…" he feigned sadness again before turning back to normal when Rikku came over with the cutlery. "Food will be right up. So keep chatting while I get it. Kupo!"

When the girl left, Roxas continued staring at her. "Doesn't she get sick of saying that? Because I'm getting sick of hearing it." He spoke, the shade of red slowly leaving his face.

"Dunno, but I tuned it out after a few visits. Can't let a couple of 'Kupo!'s' keep me away from good food." He laughed.

"Tune it out? It's not like there's a mute button on her or anything."

"It's all in the head Rox," he tapped his forehead. "You'll get so use to it, you won't even hear it anymore."

"Ok, if you insist." He raised an eyebrow and started playing around with the butter knife that was placed on his right. "Am I eating a second dinner or dessert?"

"Dessert of course!"

"But you haven't even eaten dinner yet and you're going straight for dessert!" he pointed accusingly.

"Oh wells, can't be helped." He clicked his tongue and started picking his teeth with a finger.

"Yes it can, you just need to get into a habit of eating dinner at the right time. Not at 9o'clock." He berated, his face finally back to its normal color.

"Geez, you sound like a mother." He groaned, feeling slightly ashamed because he got told off by a kid that looks a year younger than him. A year or two, but who's counting right?

"It's for your own good." Roxas added, nodding his head to prove his point.

Axel didn't know what compelled him to ask the question of a certain subject he knew the blond didn't like but he did regardless, although he starts by asking for permission before doing so. "I have a question for you."

"Ok…what is it?" he asks with a hint of eagerness.

"Would you ever switch over?" he placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his fingers.

"Switch over from what?" he raised his eyebrow in question.

"You know, would you ever 'bat for the other team' or 'bat for both teams' one day?" Axel quoted.

"Like…turn…bi?" he spoke slowly, unaware that he made a face of shock and worry.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Don't think so? I mean, you know my family is kind of-" he felt the room grow exceptionally warm at that moment.

"I'm not asking _your_ family. I'm asking _you_." Axel pointed at the blond.

Roxas stared at the finger before shifting his eyes back to the red head. "Why? Where's this conversation going?" he asked cautiously. Not quote willing to answer.

Axel sighed, "Never mind."

"W-wait-" he started but Rikku came over with their orders.

"Kupo! Here's your food, enjoy and eat up!" she smiled as she placed down the waffles and oreo shake that Axel ordered and placed down a chocolate swirl shake along with a chocolate covered ball topped with whipped cream and a cherry. "If you need anything else, feel free to call me over. Kupo!" she waved and hopped away to a table that needed her attention.

"Food!" Axel exclaimed as he picked up the knife and fork and started digging right into it, forgetting what conversation had taken place just seconds ago.

Roxas didn't know what to do, he kept on staring at the food in front of him, whatever it was, and looking back at Axel.

A part of him really wanted to continue, but another was afraid of finding out something that shouldn't be. 'Maybe it's best I don't ask.' He thought to himself before looking back down at his food. "Er…what is this?" he asks, picking up a fork and poking at it.

"It's dessert, you weirdo. Now eat it before it melts." He regarded as he stuffed another large piece of waffle into his mouth.

"Melts?" he raised his eyebrows as he poked at it some more, the ball making a light 'thud, thud' with each impact made. "Melts?" he asks again.

"Yeah, yeah. Just cut it open." He pointed to the ball of chocolate covered dessert with a knife, stuffing a strawberry into his mouth with a fork.

"Cut it open? You make it sound like surgery!" he laughs.

"It's not complicated. Here." He stands up and leans over the table and with the knife he held, he gently slices the ball in half, exposing vanilla ice cream in its centre.

"Woo…" he let out a sound of awe as he placed the fork down and picked up the spoon. "What's this?" he takes a piece of the crust and eats it. "Crunchy…"

"It's a 'snowball'." He spoke, dunking a piece of waffle into the strawberry sauce before biting onto it. "It's ice cream covered in a sweet batter and fried."

"Why doesn't the ice cream melt?" he asked as he starts to eat the ice cream with the fried batter.

"I dunno, you're smart. You tell me." He chuckles, taking a sip from his oreo shake.

"Hmm…" he regards the hard crust and the cold ice cream and came up with the answer. "Oh, it must be because the ice cream is cold and the fryer is hot. They're both extremes so while the batter cooks, the ice cream is protected by it so it doesn't melt that quickly."

"There ya go. I didn't get half the shit you said, but it sounds smart. Congrats Rox." He chuckled and took another sip of his oreo shake.

"Tastes nice. Is this what you ordered when you first came here?"

"Yup, ain't half bad eh?"

"Mmhmm." He took a sip of the chocolate swirl drink, "This is good too!"

"Man, you look like you've never had desserts before." He swallowed his mouthful before laughing.

"I've had desserts…just nothing this fancy." He blushes a bit, fully aware that half of what Axel said was true. "I mean, I've had cakes for birthdays too."

"Other than cakes and ice cream, what else have you had?"

"Erm…" he leaves the spoonful of ice cream in his mouth as he tried to think back. He made a face of contemplation but after a while, he gave up. "Nothing but those…" he sighed, lowering his head down dejectedly.

"Well, good thing I dragged you here tonight then!" he smiled, feeling very pleased with himself. "Oi, oi…"

Roxas perked his head up to the red head.

"Mind if I eat a bit? Haven't had one in a while." He asked, his fork inching closer to the blonds' dish.

"Sure, only if you gimme some of your waffles." He smiled, pushing his plate forward.

"Cool," his smile turned into a predator's smirk as he dug his fork into the crust, dipped it in chocolate and ice cream before pulling it back into his mouth. "Tastes so good…"

"Gimme your waffles." He stuck his tongue out as he valiantly tried to reach for the waffles over the large white table. "Push it over a bit, I can't reach."

Axel started chuckling, watching the blond with gentle eyes who continued to reach over to his plate.

"Come on Axel, I can't reach." He spoke again, standing up just a bit and reaching over some more. "Seriously, this table is too big."

Shaking his head, his pushed the plate forward. "Here ya go."

Roxas finally managed to get himself a piece covered in strawberry sauce, upon putting it into his mouth, his face turned into one of a child who just saw Santa Claus putting presents underneath the Christmas tree.

"This is…really…good." He chewed slowly, savoring the taste. "Really…good."

"Hah, if you like it so much, you can have it. I'll trade it for yours. How's that?"

"Sounds good." He smiled, unaware of the soft look coming from the red head. "You need to bring me back here one day. This is really good stuff." He spoke as Axel pulled the ice cream dessert over to himself and pushed forward the waffles to Roxas.

"Sure, sure. Just don't go telling anybody. This is our secret spot. Yeah?" he smirked. "You tell anybody, I won't bring you back here ever again." He threatened lightly.

"Aw, you're mean." He pouted through his smile as he ate a strawberry. "I won't tell anybody. I promise."

"Yeah, you better." He added as he drank his oreo shake. He looked over towards the counter and took note of the time. Almost spitting out the shake when he saw it. "Oh shit. It's 9:49."

"Oh what? What happened to the time?" he glanced at his watch and noticed that it was one minute slower than the clock above the wall.

"Time goes by too fast when we're having fun." He laughed as he ate a large spoonful of ice cream and cringed. "Ughh...brain-freeze…" he grabbed a lump oh his red hair and pulled, hoping that it would distract the pain.

Roxas laughed, "Idiot." And took a large sip of his chocolate swirl drink before wincing in pain. "Ahhh…brain-freeze!!!" he dropped his head to the table, avoiding the plate of waffles and continuously bumped it head on it.

This time, Axel laughed at the blond. "Hah, and you called _me_ an idiot!"

Roxas scowled before laughing as well.

After Axel dropped a twenty dollar bill at the counter and bolted with Roxas in tow, they reached the car and screeched into the distance. While only receiving only a two minute scolding from Roxas about speeding, he concluded that it was an emergency and decided to let it go.

"Just don't do it again." The blond spoke as he climbed out of the car.

"I wouldn't have to if you didn't have a curfew!" Axel shouted out the window as Roxas walked up to the front door.

"Yeah, yeah. See you tomorrow!" he waved as he came closer to the front door, pulling out the keys to the house and slipping it into the key-slot.

"Goodnight! Text me if you can't get to sleep!" he gave the blond a salute.

"As if!" he shouted back before covering his mouth suddenly. "Opps…" it was late in the night and people were most likely already asleep. He waved to the red head and went inside.

Once he got into the house, closed the door and heard Axel leaving, he realized that he left his Linkin Park CD in the glove compartment.

* * *

Fuck, I couldn't write this chapter out clearly, I was pissed off and I think I was starting to make Roxas seemed like he was angry too. Oh fuck that…

On a lighter note, I think I almost spelt 'fried' as 'friend' a few times. Lol. And I was also eating oreos when I was writing out the café part. Hehe.


	25. Restless

Kya…I was watching between cut scenes of Axel and the Advent Children movie where Reno was talking…Holy Shit, they sound so fucking hot…but they're practically the same person right?

Ahaha!

I have a confession…(Ahem, ahem…)

When I think of Seifer, I can only come up with one word…JERK.

When I think of Hayner, I can think of one word to describe him best…BRASH.

When I think of Sora, the word that sticks out the most is…UKE…

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!

WGreyB – Wehehehe! Actually, I feel the same way too…I'm feeling hungry. Lol.

Shadoom – Yes!! It was a manual bike!! I mean…motorcycle. Totally awesome man!! Lol, and I feel the same way about beating up Axel. I kept on thinking, 'Roxas! How could you!! (slaps!!) And about that game, kind of scary about the airport security thing…Really scary if you ask me. I mean, I would totally freak out and cry…But how's Canada? Is it cold?? Oh and er…who's Billy Talent? I think I've heard of him, but I'm not too sure bro…(epps) Thanks for shouting out my name from a tower, now I'll be infamous. Lol, scary thought in a way. Lol, nice job for the PWP, but no. Lol.

Aniki Studios – Lol! Which part was the Canadian part?! I'm interested to find out yo! And thanks for the review for the 'Piggyback Ride', I know it was rushed but hell…I wanted to make it longer but I didn't know how. So yeah…Sorry, my bad…

Erinicole12 – Lol! Paupu fruit! I saw a picture of that once. It was hilarious. Lol.

Conductor of Darkness – Kya! I love it when everybody says I'm doing good job. It really motivates me. Thank you!!!

Aryna.Tahashi – Lol, you and me both. You and me both…(Roxas! Go bat for the other team!! Rawr!!)

RoraShigoto – Lol, glad you're having fun! And the music too. Lol. Have fun back at school…(eeps)

Crazydrawinggirl – Really? That's good to hear! A lot of people said I did though. Lol..

Shadow of Darkness 22 – Lol!! True that!! I must've been 'watching' that ad when I typed out the chapter. Lol.

Launch shinra – Yes it _does_ exist!! And it tastes _so_ good!! Anyways! Lol, congrats for passing your exams! Woot!! But sorry about you not getting into your French and Japanese course…(sniff) I feel for ya…

Ranchdressing – Why was I so mad? It had something to do with university…Lol…Sigh…

* * *

_Roxas found himself in the dark world once again. Standing in the middle of no-where._

_He took a look around but was not surprise that he was greeted with nothing but silence and the never-ending darkness._

_Feeling in a rather positive mood, he started walking with his hands behind his head. Whistling a tune as he did so._

_After a short while, a voice spoke to him. He was not surprise that it sounded familiar._

'_My, my…don't you look positively _glowing_ today…' there was a hint of a smirk behind that voice._

"_My, my…it seems as though you _still_ won't reveal yourself." Roxas regarded coolly, still walking but with a smirk on his face._

'_Hmm…it seems as though something nice has happened to you today.'_

"_Wouldn't _you_ like to know?" he added, unable to stop himself from laughing._

'_Indeed I would.'_

_Roxas wasn't sure what this person was playing at. For some reason, he knew, he_ knew_ the voice belonged to Axel. But the voice just continued to act like a third party._

"_We went to a concert and then we went to this cafe." He sat down on the floor, leaning back on his arms to relax himself._

'_We? Who's 'we'?'_

"_Oh, just me and this guy."_

'_Do you like him?' there was a slight hint of eagerness from the voice._

"_You and I both know I don't swing that way."_

'I_ wouldn't know. But maybe _he_ does.'_

_Roxas frowned. 'Why…Why do you keep denying the fact that you're Axel.' He thought to himself._

'_Stop calling me by that name.'_

_The blond was unaware that he had spoken out loud. "It's not fair. You know _my_ name. Why can't I know _yours_?" he scowled._

'_I'm not who you want me to be.' The voice sounded dejected._

"_That's because you're not letting me know who you are!" he shouted, standing up and glaring at the darkness above him._

'_Go back to sleep…'_

"_I _am

* * *

Roxas awoke from his dream, feeling as though he had just screamed his heart out yet again. "Great…I just had a fight in my dream." He groaned and shifted positions.

After five minutes of tossing and turning, he gave an exasperated sigh and threw his blanket off. "Stupid Axel." He scowled as he opened the door and walked out into the hallway and down the stairs.

He stumbled in the dark, stubbing his toe on one of the dining chairs on his way to the kitchen. He fought back the urge to cry out in pain as he jumped up and down and grabbed his foot. He hoped that it wasn't bleeding.

Feeling the pain ebbing away, he treaded cautiously into the kitchen and went over to the cupboards, carefully taking out a cup and turning the tap water on. He noticed the time was just after two in the morning and groaned his displeasure.

Drinking to his heart's content, he placed the cup into the sink and walked away. As he walked through the living room, he noticed a faint light coming from his father's study room and heard voices.

Curiosity getting the better of him, he tip-toed over towards the door, ignoring the slight twinge from his stubbed toe. He gently touched the door and leaned down just slightly, placing his ear on the cool surface.

"Are you sure?" he heard his mother whisper.

"I'm sorry dear, but I believe it's better this way." He heard his father speak.

'What are they talking about?' Roxas thought to himself as he tried to listen. Closing his eyes in hopes that it would help with his hearing.

"But we've been fine all these years, why now?" she spoke softly.

"You deserve better."

He heard her mother sigh. "When…shall we tell the kids?"

There was a pause before his father spoke again. "Soon…"

Roxas tore his ear away and retreated back to his room. He wasn't sure what they were talking about, but he had a faint idea. And he hoped, with all his heart, that he was wrong.

* * *

"Woah…" Axel greeted the blond cautiously. "You look like you just came out of a fight…or something."

Roxas groaned as he numbly took out the books that he needed and placed in the books that weren't needed. "Couldn't sleep…" he offered as his English text book slipped out of his fingers. He sighed as he bent over to pick up the dropped item.

"Had too much fun last night eh?" he smirked, nudging the blond as he did so.

Roxas ignored the red head in favor of trying to organize his books for the first and second period. He vaguely registered that someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Feeling a slight weight pressed down on him once again, he turned to the source to find a worried looking Olette.

"Roxas, are you ok?"

"Huh…?" he spoke slowly, his mind still unable to process the sentence.

"Hello…?" she waved her hand in front of the blond. "Roxas? You're kind of scaring me here." She laughed nervously.

"Oh…I'm fine. I didn't manage to get enough sleep last night." He offered as weak smile in hopes that it would reassure her.

She frowned as she watched the blond in front of her sway just slightly. "Maybe you should've stayed home?"

"Nah, just two more days and then we'll have the weekend. I can sleep all I want then."

"Ok, if you say so." She gave a small smile and nodded. "Erm…" she looked down at the door and scuffled her foot lightly.

"What is it?" he spoke worriedly.

"Me and Pence…we both miss you. Hayner won't say this, but he misses you too." She sighed quietly. "We all know how much of a hot head it is. Personally, I blame Seifer." She laughed behind her hand.

"Yeah. But you know, once everything settles down, once he stops jumping to conclusions, I'll explain everything. Even though there's nothing _to_ explain." He gave a lop-sided smile.

"I know you will. The both of you have been friends for so long, it's really sad to see you guys like this." She tucked a bit of her brunette hair behind her ear.

"Don't worry. It'll be ok by tomorrow." He smiled as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. 'I hope…' he thought to himself.

"Ok, I'll see you in class." She gave him a hug before turning to walk to their first period class.

Once Olette was out of sight, he turned around with a scowl. "Why didn't-" he was greeted by no-one. 'Ok…so he ditched.'

In a way, he felt relieved that Axel gave him the space to talk to his friend. He left to give her a chance to walk up and talk to Roxas. But in another way, he felt deserted.

Unable to scowl or smile, he kept his face neutral as he piled the books into his bag, zipping it up before closing the locker and walking clumsily to his English class.

Halfway down the hallway, Axel sauntered up to walk beside him, hands in his pockets. "Sorry, I saw your friend coming down the hallway, so I ditched."

"Yeah…thanks." He tried to rub the tiredness from his eyes.

"How'd it go?"

"It was…nice to talk to her again." He offered a small smile as he continued walking.

"Good to hear." He smiled as he straightened himself out.

Their walk to the class was a silent one, a silent but comfortable stroll. Roxas was glad for it because he didn't think he could talk properly, especially when his mind was still half asleep.

They were one of the first people to enter the classroom. Demyx waved cheerfully to them from the back while Zexion read a book and while Xigbar doodled on his notes.

Apart from those three, the class was deserted. No grumpy Hayner in sight, no troubled looking Olette and no hesitant Pence. It wasn't that Roxas was getting sick of them, but ever since that fight with the dirty blond boy, the atmosphere was so thick whenever he was around them, he felt like he couldn't breathe sometimes.

The blond walked to the back with Axel in tow and took his seat. Demyx greeted them and waved two pieces of paper in front of them. "Look, look! Zexion helped me finish my essay! Isn't that sweet?!"

"Oh shut your pie hole Demyx." Axel scowled, feeling ashamed that he himself wasn't even halfway done.

"Don't be rude Axel. Just because _you_ were too lazy to do your own." Roxas spoke as he took out his notebooks and what not from his bag.

"You were supposed to help me!" he whined.

"I _am_ helping you! You gotta do some of it yourself too, you know."

"Ok, ok." He gave in, "Lemme look at what you wrote down." He pointed to the notebook which Roxas willingly gave him.

"It's due tomorrow, so you better try and finish it today."

"Why do it today when you can leave it for tomorrow? Besides, English is on last period tomorrow, so I'll have plenty of time to get it done." he spoke as he flipped through the pages and found the one he was looking for.

"Maybe but why leave it for tomorrow when you can do it today?" Roxas countered as he eyed the red head.

"Why do you always find something to say in return?" he smirked as he ripped a piece of paper from Demyx's notepad who didn't seem to mind.

"Because I always have the last say." He returned the smirk as he registered the ringing of the bell to signal the beginning of class.

After a short while, the other students were starting to file in. Just when the class was half-full, Hayner, Pence and Olette came in and took their regular seats.

The latter two gave Roxas a worried look while Hayner continued to ignore him like he never existed in the first place. Somewhere in his chest, it was hurting him. But he refused to dwell on the unnamed emotion.

Sora scrambled in with a wide grin on his face. Tripping over a leg from a table but regaining his balance quickly.

He wasn't exactly the class comedian, but he always gets himself into dangerous or sometimes funny situations and come out unhurt, fine and dandy.

Roxas was unable to wipe the smile off his face as he watched his brother skip up to his own seat, throwing a wave to him before settling down.

Half an hour into the class, the blond suddenly groaned and thumped his head on the table, earning glances from Axel, Demyx, Zexion and Xigbar.

"Hey dude…I think blondy's gone bonkers…" the eye-patch wearing guy whispered to the slate haired boy, unaware that Roxas actually heard.

"Er…What's up Rox?" the red head asked.

"I left my P.E gear in my locker." He sighed as he raised his head up slightly.

"Well, no worries! We'll go get it later." He smiled, patting the blond on the back. "It's not the end of the world."

"And I think I forgot to lock it too."

"Oh…Er…Whoops?" he offered lamely.

"Yeah…Whoops." He grinned mirthlessly.

He was unable to sit still and quietly for the rest of the class. Anxiously glancing at his wrist watch and the clock on the wall. Sometimes even taking out his cell phone to look at its clock as well

But when the bell rang, he bolted out the door so quickly, he forgot to pack up his things and take his bag along with him.

And the fact that he left Axel behind to eat his dust.

"Weirdo." Axel smirked as he took it upon himself to pack up for the blond and bring the bag to him.

"Class?" everybody turned their eyes towards the teacher, all except Roxas who was already half-way towards his locker. "I forgot to take into account that since tomorrow is the school fair, I'll extend the creative writing assessment till Monday. And I will _not_ accept any excuses for tardiness." She added as the class whooped in victory.

Axel smirked as he went after the blond, skipping just a little as he did so.

* * *

Ta-da…short chapter? You really think so? I think so too…But the last chapter was extra long! So it makes up for this chapter being short. Hehe! 


	26. Brink

I gots a Nintendo DS. WOOT WOOT! WHAT A BLOODY WASTE OF $130!! Ok maybe not, but I reckon I could've maybe spent it a lil better than that. What would _you_ spend on if you had $130?

Suyiro Motsuko – Gasp?! I take too long to update PLUS the chapter was too short???? (Cries horribly) It takes me three days to update and takes you not even ten minutes to read, it's not fair!!!!

Launch shinra – Oh well, you know, from FF8, he _is_ a bit of a jerk. But DUDE!! You're not supposed to know that little piece of information, so SHHHHH!! Lol.

Ranchdressing – Sniff, another who thinks the chapter is short but not too short but it's still short enough to deserve a short review. Lol…

Conductor of Darkness – Lol, have fun while you're waiting!!

Erinicole12 – Lol, your reviews make me so happy…Like, like, like…I'm the only akuroku story writer out there, which is so not true. Lol.

Shadow of Darkness 22 – Lol, yeah, the skipping part was a last minute thing, but I could so picture it in my head…

WGreyB – Lol, believe me, it's happened to me so many times, it's practically a routine! Lol.

Shadoom – Aww poo, hope the weather clears up for you. Anyways, I'm not gonna tell you what PWP is, you won't wanna know. I mean, I WANTED to know, but now I wish I didn't ask…Hahaha…

Crazydrawinggirl – Lol…I feel so sad now…(cries in a corner)

Aniki Studios – Ohh!! I see!! I get it now!! Lol!!! You're not a weird little ducky, so no worries!! Anyways, yeah I _do_ think that Piggyback ride was a bit on the short side too, but it was a one shot, and most one shots are like that…SOME…I'm just saying…

* * *

Roxas almost shouted out in joy to find that his locker hadn't been mutilated and was still in one piece. The combination lock was found on the inside and he sighed out the dread that was in his chest when he ran out from the classroom into the hallway.

As he pulled out his P.E gear and reached for his shoulder bag, he realized he left it behind. "Oh crap…"

"Tsk, tsk Rox…I never knew you swear." A certain red head walked up to him with a bag in hand. "Does this belong to you?"

The blond smiled and took the bag that was offered. "Thanks. I can't believe I ran out like that." He laughed and scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Yeah, I think you would've made it for the track team." His smirk widened. "How's the locker?" he nudged his head towards the said item.

"It's fine. Nobody hacked into it. Still nice and clean. Just the way I left it." He smiled as he took out his English books and stuffed it into his locker. He vaguely recalled putting in his stats books and when he looked into his bag to double check, there it was. "Pfft…I took out the books for third period instead of my gear."

"Well, everybody makes mistakes." He offered with a shrug. "Even more when they're still half asleep." He smirked.

Roxas scoffed and closed his locker, making sure to lock it and tugging on the lock just in case. "Let's get to class." He swung his bag around and rested it on his shoulder. "Don't feel like doing morning runs for being late."

* * *

After changing in a record time of two minutes, they walked into the gym and sat where the rest of the class were, ignoring the two sets of plastic cones on the floor.

"This morning, we'll be doing a running exercise." Xaldin shouted out as he tapped on his clipboard with a pen.

A good majority of the class groaned in displeasure, Roxas included. "Man…I totally jinxed myself." He sighed as Axel chuckled beside him.

"This counts towards your final grade." He looked over the clipboard and started ticking off students that are present. "Boys are expected to do twice as good as girls. Since your stamina are much better." He coughed into his hand. "No offence meant to the opposite gender." He added.

Most of the girls in the class didn't mind, they weren't that athletic anyway. Although some felt the need to pout and protest, complaining they're not the weaker sex.

Xaldin sighed, knowing that he had stepped over a delicate border somewhere. He coughed into his hand once again, trying to get the attention of the class who were debating (mainly screaming and screeching from the sporty girls) about fairness and the talk of sayings such as "Ladies first" from the boys.

"To pass, boys are expected to at least get up to level 7 of the run. Girls can go up to level 5." Again, this created another uproar from the students. "I'll get the tape…" he sighed as he walked away into the gym office.

He returned later to find that the class had spilt themselves into respective halves in consideration of gender. 'Oh dear lord…what have I done…' he thought to himself as he set down the tape recorder. "This is a new physical education system set out by the school in hopes that it would encourage students to better themselves at sports and in an attempt to be healthy. Healthier!" he corrected himself hurriedly. "Any questions?"

When the students didn't complain at that point, he felt it was safe to start the tape. "Listen to the tape carefully. I'm not gonna waste anymore time going back and re-starting it just because somebody wasn't paying attention." He spoke as he looked around the class who were standing up to begin the lesson one more time before leaning down to push the play button. "The point is, to do the best you can and run as far as you can go." He added as a last note.

A female voice from the tape recorder sounded. "Running exercises. It is recommended that warm-ups are done before attempting to do this. If warm-ups have not yet begun, please stop the tape and-"

A click was heard and then a sigh. "Alright…do stretches for five minutes."

The class carried out the exercise for the suggested time limit before the teacher leaned back down and pushed the button once again. "-begin the exercises."

There was a short pause and Roxas stared at Axel with a raise of an eyebrow. "The length of each run will be 100 meters."

'That explains the cones.' Roxas thought to himself as he eyed one set and then the other at the end of the gym.

"The run will start off at a leisure pace, you must get to the other end before this sound is heard." a beep resonated through the walls of the gym, "As the exercise progresses, the speed at which you have to run at will increase."

'Level 7? No problem.' Axel thought to himself with a smirk as he stood by the blond at one end of the gym, waiting for the tape to shut up and start the bloody exercise.

"Those who fail the necessary mark will have to re-do the test. You may now start."

There was a long pause and the class was staring at their teacher in question, hoping that the tape was broken.

"Level 1" the class groaned as the voice spoke, a beep was heard and the students started dashing to the other side.

"Leisurely!!" Xaldin shouted out as he watched Tidus and Seifer go over to the other side in a mad dash. He fought the urge to walk out of the gym.

There was a five second pause from the recorder, and then a beep was heard.

"Was that level two?" Axel asked as he nudged the blond.

"I think the tape would say something if it was. Don't think it's _that_ easy."

"Well shit, don't tell me there's gonna be ten stages to each level." Axel swore as he walked to the other side, not bothering to run.

"Who knows? This is our first attempt right?" Roxas wondered, jogging to keep up with the red head's pace.

"Meh..." was all Axel could offer as he got to the other side and waited for the tape to continue.

It was five minutes later, they reached the end of the third level. Already a few people were struggling to keep up with the tape. "Level 4." the beep sounded and the students dashed to the other end.

Roxas was starting to pant and sweat, he wasn't use to this kind of run. And the fact that they have to turn around each time to get to the other side was energy draining as well. It was straining for the legs.

Half way through level 4, a girl walked over to the teacher and sank down in defeat. At the next beep, another girl joined her and they watched the rest of the class run the exercise.

"This…is…murder." Roxas spoke through each breath he took.

"Tell me about it." The red head smirked as he kept up with the pace, increasing his speed when necessary.

At the end of level four and the beginning of level 5, most of the girls dragged themselves away from the wall and collapsed near the teacher. Xaldin took down their names and made a ticking motion by it. Probably indicating that they passed.

The remaining girls continued on, confident that they will pass at the boy's level. But at the end of level five, all of the enduring girls excluding Fuu, admitted defeat and walked over to Xaldin, a little overwhelmed and tired.

Close to the end of level six, a couple of the boys who wanted to continue collapsed at the wall in exhaustion. Punching the floor in defeat before getting up and dragging themselves out of the way.

"Think…you can…keep up?" Seifer spoke in between breaths as he ran.

"Hah…I'm just…getting started." Tidus lied through a smirk.

"Seifer…can totally…do this…ya know?!" Rai shouted out the last part as he pushed himself a little harder.

"No competition…" Fuu breathed out as she kept up with Rai.

While Seifer and Tidus competed with the latter two in tow, Roxas ran beside Axel feeling as though his legs might give way. "I can't…" he panted.

"Just a little more…" the red head spoke as he encouraged the blond to continue. He looked a bit run down himself but Roxas knew he was just holding back for his sake.

"I'm stopping…at level…seven." Roxas swallowed, a task that seemed quite difficult to complete. His throat felt raw and dried out.

"I'm gonna…try and keep going." the red head spoke as he pushed himself away from the wall when the beep sounded and ran to the other side.

When the tape announced the end of level 6 and the beginning of level 7, most of the boys and a girl stopped running and walked up to their teacher, panting in exhaustion. Roxas pushed himself to run a couple more before turning in.

The remaining runners were just Axel, Seifer and Tidus.

As soon as the blond took a big gulp of water, he felt more relaxed as he turned to watch the red head who seem to run at a pace more suited to himself. He caught up with Seifer and Tidus easily.

At the end of level seven, Tidus and Seifer looked as though they were about to breakdown but pushed themselves for the sake of their pride. Half way through level eight, they looked at each other and mutually agreed that it was over. Letting their personal competition end as a tie.

Xaldin watched with surprise at the red head who continued to run and pass each level easily. Everybody else watched him in awe, wondering how he could manage to get so far without looking as haggard as the rest of the class did.

Roxas noticed the muscles on Axel legs working overtime but even at the end of level nine, he continued to run. Only stopping at the end of level ten because Xaldin, although very surprised and very proud of his student, felt that there was no need to continue and stopped the tape.

"Excellent run Axel." He congratulated as he ticked his name and wrote down the number at which he stopped at. "Level 11. Not bad. The highest level people ever run up to is level 9." He added, not hiding the pride in his voice.

"Thanks." Axel panted, taking the bottle that Roxas offered to him. "I thought…you don't share spit." He smirked as he took a hearty gulp of water.

"I don't, I'll just wash the bottle later." He smiled.

"Oh Roxas…you're seriously breaking my heart…my achy, breaky heart." He placed a hand over where his heart would be while the other held onto the drink bottle.

"Quit being a drama queen again Axel." His smirk turned into laughter as Axel continued to be rather dramatic about the situation. "Were you pushing yourself?" he asked casually.

"Wha?" he leaned over and rested his free hand on his knee.

"I mean, you know…weren't you tired?"

"I was, but after a while it didn't feel so bad anymore, so I just kept running." He offered as he took a small sip from the bottle, savoring the taste of the cool liquid going down his throat.

"I see…" Roxas lowered his eyes to the ground, somewhere in the back of his mind, he had thought that Axel was doing it to show off. To the class or to him, he didn't know. But he shook the thought away as he watched Axel sit down on the floor, placing the bottle down beside him.

Xaldin looked at his watched and took note of the time. "Well…there's still a little under half an hour left. How do you want to spend the rest of the period?" Xaldin spoke as he tapped the clipboard on his shoulder. His keys ready to open the storage room.

"Basketball!" Tidus shouted out.

"Indoor soccer!" another suggested.

"What about four-corner hockey?!" a girl requested.

Roxas sighed as he sat down by the red head, making a faint and unheard suggestion while the rest of the class debated on what sports they wanted to play, "I wanna go swimming…"

"I can toss you into the pool if you'd like." Axel offered.

"Pfft…You'd drown me." He smirked.

"Would not." He looked slightly offended as he returned the smirk and then a ruffling of hair.

"Watch the-" he brought his hand up to smack the hand away but sighed instead. "Never mind, it's already messed up anyway." He spoke, giving Axel permission to make it messier than what it already was.

"I've got a favor to ask of you." The red head finished ruffling the blonds' hair and leaned back, his arms keeping him balanced.

"What is it?"

"Wanna help me with my project after school?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

"Project…?"

* * *

MUAHAHAHA!! AND I'M LEAVING IT THERE!!! 


	27. Deals and Bargains

Hehe…I got smacked on the head by 'something' so I took it as a sign to hurry and finish this chapter…Lol…Oh I'm over-worked…

Cavechan – Lucky you…I had to do them every term for a couple of years…I absolutely HATED it when it first came out…Omg…it still scares the be-geezuz out of me…

ForeverOblivion – Lol, at the end of the exercise, I always end up drinking too much water and I also feel the same way…

chocolate lover – Yes!! I know what you mean!! I've always wondered if the lady who voices the tape actually ran it first or not.

WGreyB – Oh my gosh, a year or whatever ago, a guy got up to level 12…I was so shocked…

CantTakeU – Epp, me so sorry!! I've been busy with uni and trying to update this story, so I haven't been reading your fiction. I'm so sorry!!

Erinicole12 – (Laughs maniacally…) Wouldn't _you_ like to know?

blu blade – Lol, I've always thought I could get to the same level at the boys, but I always stop just when I pass…Hehe…

Shadow of Darkness 22 – I would so prefer dance over P.E…wait…I like sports though…I hate running. Lol. Contradictory isn't it?

pride1289 – Lol, no worries, I'm busy with school as well…I sometimes _try_ to take an afternoon nap…But please don't hate me…(sniff)

Crazydrawinggirl - Say what? Don't know eh?? Read on my friend. Lol.

Ranchdressing – Lol, yes I've been told repeatedly that I'm a horrible person. But yeah, I would be a worry wart…thinking crazy stuffs like. 'Oh my gosh…would anybody tag on my locker? Would they deface my books? Would they steal my stuffs? What about my books?!' (cries)

Suyiro Motsuko – Lol, hilarious comment you gave there. You actually made me visualize it too…

Coldmurdermachine – I completely agree…sometimes I wish they would tell us in advance, so I could…skip a day of school. Lol.

Kev the She-Wolf – Lol, I like muesli, but it hurts my jaws after a while…Never heard an emo-band sing live before, but it'll be nice if I could, IF I could afford it as well. Lol. And yeah…you scare me with that review about being sexist…Reminds me of Yuffie though. Lol, sorry no make out session in the near-by future...

Kiki Lelsissia – Lol, three days? That's the amount of time it takes me to update!! Lol.

Aniki Studios – Whoops, lol. But yes, I've been told many times that I am evil. Muahahhaa!

Launch shinra – Lol, a bottle of water seems like heaven when your throat feels raw…Anyways, I WON'T TELL YOU WHAT PWP STANDS FOR!! STOP ASKING ME!!!! But yes…it _is_ that bad…Hm…I've heard of Mika, I've heard of his song, 'Love Today' and I've seen the video…Not my…tastes bro. Lol.

Origami628 – Holy crap?! Spelling mistakes?! I've always double and triple check for mistakes!! NOOOOOO!!! (Falls into oblivion)

AnimeDragonofFire – Lol, yes indeed. And here I've always thought it only happened in the little country of NZ…obviously I was wrong. Lol.

Shadoom – I'd like to savor this moment when I say, 'I TOLD YOU SO!!!' Lol.

Oh my gosh…So many reviews just for one chapter…Hehe, I'm so happy!!!

* * *

"Yeah, you can catch the bus by yourself right?" Roxas spoke as he watched his brother fidget in front of him.

"But Roxas…This'll be the first time I'm going home without you." He almost cried.

He offered a weak smile. "You can do it Sora. Tell mum and dad that I'm helping a friend at school with a project."

"Ok…Is it for the school fair?" he slowly regained his posture and normal attitude.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Riku is helping too!" he added happily. "I know! Why don't we both stay after school and help out?!" he jumped up and down excitedly in front of Roxas.

"Really? That'll be awesome. I've heard that the art students are really going all out this year." Roxas laughed.

"This year's school fair is gonna be AWESOME!!" he shouted out happily, not caring that he attracted plenty of attention towards himself.

"Ok, so it's settled then. Oh wait! What about your cartoon?" he asked.

"My…my…my cartoon?" he deflated suddenly, all his energy and happiness gone out of the window. "My cartoon…My cartoon…" he sank to the floor and sighed. "My cartoon…" he sniffled.

Roxas looked at his brother worriedly, unable to find words to console him. "It's ok Sora, you can go home and watch it if you want."

Sora mumbled to himself, holding up both hands. "Cartoon…or a day of fun…" he looked from one hand to another, eyebrows knotted in decision. "Cartoon…or fun day…"

"It might not be fun you know? It could be full of labor." The blond reasoned as he crouched down and placed a hand on the brunet's shoulder.

Sora suddenly looked up with big bright blue eyes at Roxas. "It'll be fun! I'm sure it would be!! I mean, Riku's gonna be there! He makes _everything_ fun!"

"But what about your cartoon? You threatened me last time if you ever missed it!" he laughed.

"It's different this time!" he quickly stood up with an air of determination around him. "There will always be repeats right?" he smiled.

Roxas sighed as he stood back up. "That's what I told _you_." He couldn't help but feel a little cheated.

The brunet giggled as he scratched the back of his head. "Well, then I hope today's episode will be really sucky!" he pouted determinedly. "I can't wait to tell Riku! Maybe I can get Kairi to come too." He smiled and bolted away. "See ya later Roxas!!" he waved back and disappeared into the crowd.

"Looks like it's my duty to phone mum." Roxas sighed as he took out his mobile and considered whether he should use the school's phone line or use his own. He didn't feel like wasting money on telling his mother something that's not quite that important, but felt the need to tell his mother regardless. 'Or else she'll freak out when the neither or us come home at the right time.' He smiled weakly.

"If I were a teacher, I would've confiscated that." A red head strolled up towards the blond and smirked.

"You wouldn't dare…" he spoke darkly.

'If he wasn't straight, I might've jumped him right there and then. Hot damn he looks sexy when he looks like that…' Axel thought to himself before shaking his head like crazy. 'Where the fuck did _that_ come from?!'

"Were you even listening?"

"Say wha??"

"I asked if there's a phone I can use. Free phone…I need to call home." Roxas repeated.

"You can err…use the nurse's one?" he suggested.

"Alrighty then." He started walking towards the nurse's office, hoping that he's going the right way. He's only been there once after-all.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Axel asked as he trailed behind the blond.

"Pretty good idea. Why? Am I going the wrong way?"

"You're kind of going the round-about way." He stopped walking and pointed down another hallway. "We can get there in half the time if we go down _this_ way." He smirked, glad that going to the nurse's office numerous times did some good for him.

"This school is too big…" he sighed. "Lead the way then."

After twisting around four corners, going down three hallways and passing by countless of classrooms, they finally reached the 'Lair of The Great Ninja Yuffie' as the door sign says. Roxas was considering whether finding the nurse was a good idea. "Maybe I should've gone to the front office instead."

"Does she intimidate you?" he chuckled.

"She looks like a total nut-case…" he reasoned as he tentatively knocked on the door.

There was a shuffle on the other side and then the door creaked open, exposing the brown eyes of a certain person. When she saw the familiar red hair that belonged to none-other than Axel, she pulled the door opened and shouted out, "I am the Great Ninja Yuffie in disguise as a nurse! Welcome to my humble abode!"

'Total nut-case.' Roxas thought to himself as he released a nervous laugh.

"How can I be of assistance?" she smiled as she ushered them inside, going back to the door and poking her head outside to watch out for 'spies' and closed the door silently. "Did you get into trouble again Axel?" she accused as she placed her hands on her waist and tapped the floor with her shoes.

"No, no. Nothing like that." He shook his head and waved the comment off. "Have you no faith in me, oh great ninja Yuffie." He bowed down just slightly his voice filled with slight sarcasm. Although the she didn't really catch it.

She laughed. "I'm just trying to look out for you Axel. Since you used to come by all the time with _nasty_ cuts and bruises." She winced slightly, remembering one of the horrible injuries that Axel came into the office once with. "You'd make a great ninja! You do not fear pain!"

Axel laughed, "No thanks Yuffie, I rather stay the way I am." Then he leaned down to whisper into Roxas' ear. "And keep my sanity…" the blond snickered.

She sighed and slumped over. "What a pity, you'd be an excellent addition to my ever-growing clan."

"How many are currently in?"

"Hmm…let's see…" she started counting using her fingers. "One…two…four…" she held up her hand, "Five!!" she smiled. "Oh little children these days are _so_ willing to learn." She sniffed and wiped away an imaginary tear.

"Haha…right."

Roxas watched as the two exchanged light conversation. "Er…" feeling unsure if he should speak, lest Yuffie throw shurikens and kunais at him.

"Oh yeah, Roxy here, needs to use the phone." Axel spoke for him, rolling his eyes at the blond.

"Ah why didn't you just say so?" she bounded up to the blond happily and pulled him towards her desk. "Here's the phone. I do not permit overseas calls."

"I only need to call home."

"Good, good." She smiled and continued talking to the red head about her future plans for her upcoming 'dojo'.

"You're not serious are you?" he cried out.

"Of course I'm serious! Every ninja needs a dojo! You can be the first to sign up! How 'bout it Axel?!" she jumped up to him and gave him a nudge to the ribs.

"I must…kindly decline your offer." He held up his hands in front of himself and gave a weak smile.

As the two continued to converse, Roxas dialed down the number for home and waited. His mother picked up after three rings sounding out of breath.

"Hello?"

"Hey mum?" Roxas spoke into the phone.

"Hey honey, how's school?" he could hear her smile and then suddenly she starting firing questions at him, "Are you in trouble? Are you sick? Did something happen to you? Talk to me!!"

"Mum, I'm fine!" he laughed. "Nothing's wrong. Me and Sora just wanna tell you that we'll be coming home late today."

"Oh? What for?" she sounded curious.

"We're gonna help the art students finish up their project for the school fair tomorrow. Is that ok?"

"Of course that's ok dear. Just come home before it gets too dark."

"Thanks mum."

"Tell Sora to be careful. You know how your brother is." She smiled into the phone and he could hear it in her voice.

"I will mum." He smiled.

"You be careful too ok?"

"I will mum." He shook his head at his mother.

"Ok then, I'll see you when you get home. Bye-bye dear. Love you!"

Roxas blushed, "Love you too mum. See you later." There was a click on the other side and then the end tone sounded. Roxas drew in a breath and then lowered the receiver back down. When he turned around, he found himself being faced by two mischievous looking people.

"Yes mum." Yuffie snickered.

"No mum." Axel smirked.

"Love you too mum!" they both shouted out at the same time before bending over in laughter.

Roxas' blush increased even more as he watched the two older people laugh at make fun of him. "S-shut up!"

* * *

"Oh come on Roxas…It was just a bit of fun." The red head tried to coax the blond into looking at him, or at least pay a bit of attention.

The said person continued to pout and ignore Axel. 'You'd think he'd be remotely responsible. Only to prove you completely wrong.' Roxas thought to himself as he continued to do his statistics work.

"I'm sorry, but it was just so funny." He laughed to prove his point, ignoring the glares from the teacher.

'What's the derivative of _x _when _n_ equals 52?' he furrowed his eyebrows in thought, chewing the tip of his pen as he did so.

Axel sighed and rested on chin on the table, letting his arms hang loose beside him. He watched the blond work on the exercises while he whistled a tune.

'Oh no you don't…I'm not gonna start a conversation with you just because you're whistling a song that I don't know but want…' he suppressed a growl as he flipped the pages to find notes.

'Damn…not working…' he pouted then started whistling another song, noticing the sudden feverish working coming from the blond who seem to be trying very hard to ignore him. 'You can't ignore me for much longer Roxas…' he smirked.

There was a loud bang from the front and everybody turned their heads to the source. Even Axel whose mouth was still in an 'o' shape. "Would you please stop that insistent whistling?" Luxord demanded as he glared at the red head. "Do that after class or outside my classroom." He rubbed his temples.

Roxas couldn't suppress the smirk on his face. 'Hah, serves you right.' His smirk not even fading when Axel turned his head and pouted even more.

"Yes sir…" he rolled his eyes and turned his head to face to door.

It was ten minutes later of complete silence, Roxas found his pace of work. Managing to do each and every exercise that the teacher asked them to do and more. He wondered why it was suddenly quiet, not that he was complaining and he looked up to find no more work was assigned for them to do. He glanced over to the red head and found that he was actually doing his own work.

'Am I dreaming…?' he thought to himself as he rubbed his eyes, but when the image of Axel _actually _working was still there. He couldn't help but widen his eyes _as_ he watched the red head try to complete a question with much difficulty. Chewing the end of the pencil until it lost its head.

Axel caught the blonds' movement and shifted his eye sight over. "What?" he asked irritably when he noticed Roxas staring at him.

"Nothing." He turned back to his own work and suddenly didn't feel like continuing.

"So you're talking to me now?" he scoffed as he glared at the numbers and letters in the book that didn't make any sense to him.

"Do you need help?" he asked, not tearing his eyes away from his statistics work book.

"No, I'm fine." Axel lied as he scribbled down the wrong answer and went to the next one.

Roxas sighed, knowing that he made the red head somewhat pissed off, but he knew a way to make it all better. "How about a trade?" he smirked.

Axel's ears perked up just slightly and the blond knew he got his attention. "I'll pretend what happened in the nurse's office didn't occur and I'll help you with the stats stuffs _if_ you'll tell me the songs you were whistling just now."

The red head smirked. "You drive a hard bargain, but deal." He held out a hand and the blond shook it.

"Deal." His smirk turned into a smile as the red head scooted over just a smidgen. "Now, about those songs."

"One of it is by Good Charlotte, their newest song, 'Dance Floor Anthem'. Got it memorized?"

"Mmhmm. And the other?" he scribbled down the song title as Axel spoke.

"Next one is a song that's not too new, but not too old either. It's by The Used called 'All That I've Got'."

"Awesome." He smiled as he committed those to memory just incase and turned to the red head.

"Now for your end of the bargain."

"Did we visit Yuffie today? I can't seem to remember." He gripped his chin with one hand thoughtfully as he stared up at the ceiling before glancing at Axel and smirked.

"Yeah, yeah. Now help me with this exercise. I don't get it." He pushed his notebook over to the blond who couldn't help but laugh at the red head's work.

"This and this and this and this, is all wrong." He pointed to each equation as he smiled.

"So basically, _everything_ I just did is all wrong…" he face faltered as he stared at his messy handwriting.

"Yup."

"Oh man…" he sighed and thumped his head on the table.

"Ok, we'll start slow. Firstly…"

And as Roxas helped Axel try to find the derivative of _x_ and _n_, he couldn't help but feel a sense of completion as he did so. Even though the red head had very little hope of ever getting the subject right.

* * *

What a lovely way to end the chapter…Bwahhaha!

Shurikens and kunais are Japanese for throwing stars and knives. Muahaha!

Bwaha…Muahhaa! …Ahaha?! Bleh………


	28. Down the Drain

(Sniff) It's cold here…(Sniff) Like…you know…Winter? (Blows into a tissue) And I think I'm sick or something? (Sniff) Ugh….

The things I do for you people….(Blows into the tissue again) Ugh….

pride1289 – Heck if I knew. Lol, but I think she keeps it under her desk at all times for emergency use…

AnimeDragonofFire – Lol, oh wells, more people to suffer with us.

Ranchdressing – Lol, that was my favorite part of the chapter too!! Cracked me up so much…

Crazydrawinggirl – Yeah, but I find it kinda cute. Lol. Especially when they're somewhat embarrassed about it.

Erinicole12 – I'd like to join her ninja clan. Lol, that'll be so darn awesome.

Darkest Soul of Sadness – I just think Hayner can be really…jerky sometimes. Lol, jerky…

CountYourStars – Really? Thank you, thank you. (Bows down) I feel so honored to have received such a review.

Kiki Lelsissia – Hell…even _I_ have problems with it. Not that I'm incredibly smart or something. Lol. I wish.

Shadow of Darkness 22 – I have yet to try that game!! Honestly, I plan to buy it someday, just don't know when. Lol.

Launch shinra – Lol. It's so funny to read everybody's reaction on Yuffie as a school nurse. You switched on the computer in the early morning just to read my story? I'm so honored!!! Hope it didn't get you hyper for the day. Lol. And how the hell did you get that image of Roxas and Axel, whatever thingy, thingy. Lol, so funny! Mental image is stuck…

WGreyB – I think mainly because of the AC movie that it made me think of her as someone who likes to laugh a hell of a whole lot. I didn't get to finish the game…I had to return it…Boo…

X fuji X – Lol, and here I thought he was clueless on most days.

Soraslilangel – Lol, really? Over and over again? Wow, I'm really honored…I usually just read stories once. Lol.

Woot!! 50 favs!! Who loves me?! I do!! Lol!!! I'm high on reviews…Oh and err…I could've sworn I mentioned Yuffie as a school nurse all the way back in chapter 10 or something, something…

* * *

Science was a bore so let's just fast forward to the end of the period. (Pushes the fast forward button.)

And here, we find Axel getting a telling off from Vexen because he blew up his section of the lab. Along with Roxas who has scorch marks and soot on his face.

"I turn around for _one_ second! _One_ second! And you blew up the freaking experiment!" the blond scowled as he cleaned up the little pieces of glass from the broken beakers.

"Hey! How was _I_ suppose to know that if you turn up the heat a little, it would go ka-boom?!" Axel scoffed as he wiped down the table with a blackened cloth.

"I _told_ you that would happen!" he glared at Axel and accidentally cut his finger on a broken glass. "Ouch…" he frowned as he grabbed his finger and tried to stop the bleeding.

"You ok?" he scurried over to the blond and bent over. "Come here." Axel dragged Roxas to the nearest sink and turned the tap on.

"You crazy?! What if the water's got chemicals in it?!" he tried to pry his arm away as the red head held a firm grip under the running water.

"Would you rather the chemicals from the beakers?" he retorted.

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows and looked away, feeling light-headed. He could feel his energy draining away down the sink as the water washed away the blood. _His_ blood.

"Damn, it's not stopping." Axel frowned as he watched the blood continue to seep out from the wound.

"Just close the tap, that usually helps."

"I meant the blood…genius…" he rolled his eyes. "You know what usually helps?" he wondered as he inspected the finger a little closer.

"What?" he asked, staring at Axel through tired blue eyes.

"This." He leaned forward just slightly and licked the wound, making Roxas blush furiously.

"W-what are you doing?!" he squeaked as he felt the warmth on his finger.

"Look! The blood stopped!" he grinned widely as he held the finger in front of Roxas.

The blond was unable to pay attention to the held up digit, his mind still reeling over what Axel had been doing.

"Ok, you head over to Yuffie's. I'll clean up the rest of the mess." He offered as he pushed the blond out the door. "I'll catch up with you later as well." He stared at the blond, quirking up an eyebrow when Roxas didn't move from his spot. "Well…get going!" He pushed the blond a little forcefully, making Roxas trip over just slightly, but he regained his balance and turned around to glare at Axel, the blush still evident on his face. "Hehe." He grinned as he waved Roxas goodbye. "See ya later."

Begrudgingly, Roxas shuffled the way down the hall, keeping pressure on the injured finger as he trekked closer to the office that belonged to the Great Ninja Yuffie. His mind was wondering back and forth the pain that was no longer there and the dampness.

'It's cold now…' he shivered involuntarily.

Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the office. Unable to pry his hand away from his finger, he knocked on the door using his head.

"Come in, come in!!" she pulled the door opened and made a loud gasp when she saw it was Roxas. She noticed a small trickle of blood from the digit and made an even bigger gasp.

"You! What happened to you?!" she quickly dragged him in and forced him to sit down on the nearby chair.

"Er…there was broken glass in the science room?" it was half true…

"Silly, silly. I thought Axel's suppose to look out for you!" she frowned as she rummaged around the cupboards for a box of band-aids. "Darn it, where did I last leave it?!"

"Top left shelf Yuffie." Axel spoke as he leaned on the door casually.

"Axel! You idiot! You're supposed to look after the kid!!" she came up to him and landed a hard punch on his head.

"Hey! ABUSE!! ABUSE!!" he shouted out as he rubbed the sore spot.

"Pssh…" she waved him away and went back to the cupboards, taking out a box of colored band-aids. "Ok, pick a color, any color!" she giggled as she held out 5 different colored ones.

"Err…blue." He replied as he watched Yuffie put down the band-aid on the table and reached out for antiseptic as well as a cotton ball.

"This is gonna hurt a bit."

"Wrong, it's gonna hurt like shit." Axel gave a half-hearted smirk.

"I can totally handle it." Roxas pouted as he held out the not-so-bleeding finger defiantly.

"Another great ninja has awoken!!" the short lady praised as she gently applied the alcohol, ignoring the slight twitch coming from the blond. He watched her pull apart the paper protectors and then the plastic flaps before carefully applying it on the cut finger. "There! All better!" she smiled. "Don't think it's necessary to record this though."

"Nah Yuffie. He'll be fine." Axel reasoned as he pushed himself from the doorway and come closer to the blond, with a bag in hand.

"He better be! Because if he's not, it's all _your_ fault!!" she pointed at him accusingly.

"Yeah, I know." His eyes grew soft as he gently placed the bag by the blonds' chair and headed for the window. "I should've picked up the broken pieces instead of him." He replied as he stared out the window close by.

Roxas watched with mild interest at the red head. Wondering why he had a sudden mood swing. He opened his mouth to speak but Axel spoke before he could get a syllable out.

"Well! Anyway, I'm heading over to the art class. Wanna come with?" Axel asked casually as he started for the door.

"Er…sure?" the blond replied as he stood up and picked up his bag before following the red head out.

"Buh-bye!! Next time I see you guys, you better be in tip-top condition!!" she shouted out as she waved at them.

As they walked down the hallways silently, Roxas couldn't help but slip a couple of side glances towards the red head.

'What's up with him?' he thought to himself after he heard him sigh for the third time. "Wh-"

"Sorry for…not listening. You know?" he started suddenly.

The blond looked up at the red head, finally understanding why he seemed out of character.

"Class was boring anyways." He reasoned. "If I were you, I might've done the same thing." He joked.

"Nah, you're too much of a goody-two-shoes to do something like that." He chuckled.

"How would _you_ know?" he quirked up an eyebrow at the red head.

"Oh, I know. _I know_..." he spoke as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down, making the blond laugh harder.

"You weirdo."

Axel smiled at Roxas and vaguely noticed a blue plaster on his finger. "Are you…really ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine. It's not like I'm gonna die from a cut." He reasoned as he waved his hand around.

"Yeah, true. You're not emo and everything like that." He joked, letting out a scoff as he did so.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

He changed the subject quickly. "Oh yeah, you left your Linkin Park CD in the car. I'll get it for you after school. That cool with you?" he asked as he shot him a quick look before looking away again.

"Oh, err…yeah. That's fine." He wondered why Axel changed the subject, but decided not to think too much into it. "If you wanna burn a couple of songs for yourself, you can borrow it first."

"Nah, we can trade songs later." He smirked at the blond.

Roxas laughed, feeling better that Axel was back to normal. "Cool." As they walked closer to the art room, they could hear the students buzzing around holding paint brushes and the clanging of paint buckets and the fluttering of paper. "Woah…"

"Yeah, today's the last day to get everything ready for tomorrow." He spoke as he increased his speed. "By the looks of things, we should we done soon."

"That's good." He stood aside as a blonde girl holding a bucket of blue paint hurried past him. She gave a look of thanks as she walked away. "What's your job?"

"Oh you know, just painting out words and maybe putting up some signs and everything." He spoke casually as he opened the door to his classroom. Inside, he saw Demyx waving a paintbrush around and trying to get the other students to stop messing around. A certain slate-haired boy was busy taping papers together to make a large sign.

"Ok then, tell me what you need help with." Roxas spoke as he waved to Demyx and Zexion before putting his bag down on one of the tables.

Axel smirked as he pulled the blond away. "I'm working on this sign, it's not quite finished yet but a bit of help would be nice." He pointed out to a multi-colored paper on a desk.

"Flames of…Destiny…? Er…what is it for?"

"It's for our café! Demyx is gonna bake a lot of food and Marluxia volunteered to sell roses."

"Ok…what's with the name?" he looked at the blue and red words decorated with flowers and little cup-cakes.

"Don't look at me…Sai'x thought it up. He said it's 'meaningful'." He quoted.

"Ok…? Who painted it?"

"I did…but Marluxia painted the roses and Demyx asked me to paint in some food."

"Hence the polka dot cupcakes." He laughed.

"Hey! You try and paint it yourself!" he poked the blond and stalked away, picking up a pair of paintbrushes, a small cup of water and some paints. When the red head came back, he shoved a paint brush towards the blond. "Here."

"Thanks." He replied as he took it. "What do you want me to do?" he asked as he looked over the paper again.

'I want you to get on that table so I can ravish you…' he paused, "Er…"

"Hello? Earth to Axel!" he waved the paintbrush around in front of the red head.

"Just…do whatever!!" he shouted as he roughly jabbed his paintbrush into a small bucket of red paint.

"You can't just tell me to-" he started and stopped when he heard a scream. He turned his head just in time to see a certain blonde girl slip on a stray piece of paper and letting a container of black paint fly into the air in his direction. His mind told his to grab something and hit it away but his body was trying to jump out of danger.

"Watch out!" Axel shouted as he pulled the blond towards him to avoid the bucket. There was a loud crash and a splatter of paint.

People started to go to the girl who fell over while Demyx and Zexion went over to Axel and Roxas. "You guys ok?"

"Yeah, we're fine. What about her?" the red head spoke as he continued to hold onto the blond.

"Dunno, I'll go check it out." The dirty haired boy spoke as he scurried towards the fallen girl.

"I'm ok, I'm ok." They heard a gentle voice spoke.

"Man…we should get this place cleaned up." Axel pointed out as he took a better look around the classroom. The floor was dotted with paper and paint. "Somebody could seriously get a concussion in here."

"Yeah, could you let go of me now?" Roxas spoke after the adrenalin of the moment passed away. He felt incredible warm.

"Whoops! My bad." He laughed as he held the boy out an arm's length away. "You ok?"

"I'm fine. Thanks for er…saving me?"

"Anything for you Roxy." He smiled as he turned his head to the mess and sighed. "Looks like I'll have to start over again."

Roxas looked over at his work and noticed that the black paint splattered over a good majority of his work. "Don't worry. Something good always comes out from the bad."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"You can think of a new name." he smiled as he picked up the bucket and stood it back up. "Something better than 'Flames of Destiny'."

"I kind of liked that name." he gave a lop-sided grin as he looked over the blackened work.

"Something more…café-like. We can still keep the roses and cupcakes."

"What do you recommend?"

"What about…'Full Moon Café'?" he suggested. "We can darken the room by closing the curtains, and have stars hanging from the ceiling."

"Sounds awesome, we can even use a disco ball and make it look like the moon while it makes the room starry itself." He grinned as he carefully picked up the paper, trying not to let anymore paint spill and threw it into the rubbish bin.

"And then we can put candles on the tables." Roxas added as he picked up another pile of papers and a roll of tape.

"We can cover up a section of the room with star painted curtains and use it as a small kitchen where Demyx can fill out the orders and everything." He spoke as he went over to the cupboard and took out more paint buckets.

"We can even have Marluxia put a single rose on each table."

"Hah, aren't you a bit of a romantic." He smirked.

"See? Something good always comes out from the bad." He smiled as he started to tape the papers together.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get cracking." Axel laughed as he helped the blond with the soon-to-be canvas.

* * *

I had a bit of a writer's block for this chapter…Ehehe…Damn…I don't think it's very good… 


	29. Influences and Distractions

Sigh…the last chapter was total crap…

Soraslilangel – Yeah, I wanna be able to jump up real high and throw lots of shuriken!! Hoo hah!!!

pride1289 – Epp! You're sick?? Oh noo!! Please get well soon! Get lots of rest, and sleep, drink lots of water and don't forget your medicine! Lol.

WGreyB – (Nods nods) I knew I was going a bit too fast, but well…this story has strayed on for long enough…The PLOT must come!!

X fuji X – (Snort) I have no friends like that…Ok…maybe some, but I don't hang around them much anymore because my uni study gets in the way…Anyways, about that cutting remark (Lol), you'll find out soon enough.

Erinicole12 – Lol, thank you, thank you. I'm not sick, I just got the odd case of very bad hayfever…

soraXxXriku – Lol, another fast reader. (Epp)

Crazydrawinggirl – Yay! The chapter was good! I'm happier now, because I thought that it was really sucky before…

AnimeDragonofFire – Lol Vampire!! He can suck my blood any day. Lol, hilarious. Ok maybe not…Any night sounds about right.

Shadow of Darkness 22 – Lol…I hate kanji…it's the worst part of studying Japanese. And believe me…I was never good at it in the first place! And they made it ten times worse with kanji!!! Arghhh!!!

Launch shinra – Lol yeah, Roxas is so lovable like that! I'm not revealing anything to do with the story here…Read on my friend, but as for the laughing to yourself part? I do it all the time! In fact, a few people think I'm a lil crazy…Well…SCREW THEM!!! BWAHAHAHAHAA!!!

Hypothetical.Wonder – Yay! Another reviewer! I'm so happy I could just dieeee, but that would be bad because the story would end up zilch…Lol. But thank you for your review! It made my day (morning more like) Lol.

Ranchdressing – Lol I know, but apparently Roxas found it was weird. I was complaining about it to him. (Argument with an imaginary character)  
Me-What the hell is wrong with Flames of Destiny?  
Roxas-It sounds stupid! That's what! Think of something better idiot.  
Me-Don't you dare call me an idiot, or else I'll…err…  
Roxas-Just change the fucking name…  
Me-(Gasp) Roxas…you swear?  
Roxas-Shut up and write the damn story!  
Me…-Yes sir…  
(I got my ass handed to me by a twerp…)

Oh woah dude…When did I get past the 250 reviews mark? Holy shit? Lol.

* * *

"Ok, you head over to your stupid computer class and I'll finish whatever I can up here." A red head spoke as he nudged the blond away.

"Ok, I got an assignment to finish and Mr. Valentine isn't exactly one of the most lenient of people." Roxas laughed as he picked up his bag and walked up to the door. "Have fun and don't do anything stupid."

"As if I ever do anything like that." He laughed and waved the blond away.

The blond smiled as he walked down the hallway in a power-walk, trying to gently rub away some paint from his face. He couldn't suppress the smile from his face as he remembered the event that took place not ten minutes ago.

Roxas had been hard at work trying to cut up star shaped pieces from cardboard before poking a miniscule hole in it so that a piece of string could be pulled through it. Of course, while he was working on those stars, Axel had been painting the sign with colors of white, blue and yellow.

The red head casually looked over at the blond who stuck a tongue out when he was trying to make the string go through the tiny hole. "Darn it." Axel couldn't help but smile.

Seizing the opportunity, he hopped over towards the blond with a paintbrush in hand. "Yo Rox, what's that over there?" he asked as he pointed to whatever he was looking at.

"What?" he wondered as he looked away. "What am I looking for?" Roxas asked as he turned back to the red head, only to have a paintbrush graze his cheek.

The red head burst out in laughter as he smacked his leg. "You fell for it!!" he drew the attention of the other students as he continued guffawing like an idiot.

Roxas pouted as he tried to wipe away the paint. He noticed the blue paintbrush that the red head was still holding and took it away. "Hey Axel! What's this?!" he smirked as he brushed a good half of the red head's face before laughing as well.

"Eww, I think I just ate blue paint." He stuck his tongue out, "Ish my tongue bue?" he asked as his eyes went cross-eyed.

The blond laughed harder and fell over backwards at Axel who laughed along with him.

Eventually, their teacher came over and told them to either get out or get back to work. So they stifled their laughter as they continued on with cutting and painting.

Coming out of his thoughts, he noticed the same blonde girl from before giving him a weird look. "Err…" he laughed nervously, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment. "Yeah, sorry." He tried to look casual as he walked away.

"Um…I'm sorry about before…" she spoke timidly. Her voice so soft, he had to strain his ears to hear it.

"Oh it's fine. Don't worry about it. Are you ok though?" he asked as he turned around to face her.

"Oh yes, I'm very fine, thank you." She smiled and played with her hair anxiously. "You…are you an art student?" she asked as he looked down at her shoes.

"Nah, I was just helping a friend out for the fair."

"Oh I see. The fair is tomorrow, so everybody is in a rush." She giggled quietly.

"Yeah, I noticed that." He laughed.

She rubbed her fingers together to try and get rid of the dried up paint. He noticed that her dress was no longer of one color. "Er…you better get your dress cleaned up soon." He pointed at her clothes.

"I will, the class uses water-based paint so it'll come off easy." She smiled as she looked from her blotched up dress to Roxas.

"Right, right. I gotta get to class. My teacher doesn't like it when people come in late." He reasoned as he started to walk away. "See you later."

"Ok." She waved and headed back to the art classroom. "Thanks for helping." She waved her hand before turning around to get back to her own class.

Roxas checked his watched and noticed that he was over five minutes late. His eyes widened and he started in a sprint, hoping that Vincent would be late for once.

Of course, it doesn't turn out that way for the blond.

"You're late…" he spoke calmly, not turning his eyes away from the whiteboard as he continued to write down a few tips and advice for the class.

"Sorry, Mr. Valentine…I was-"

"It's fine." He interrupted. "Get on with your assignment…"

"Yes sir…" he tried to hide his furious blush as he scrambled to his desk and switched on his computer. 'Darn…this is starting to become a bad habit…' he thought to himself as he quickly took out his visual diary and pens. 'I blame Axel.' He concluded as he waited for the start-up to finish.

Flipping over to the current pages he was working on, he frowned at the little progress he's made so far. 'There's still a week left…Maybe I can get a majority of it done over the weekend.' He thought optimistically.

"Like, oh my gosh…Have you heard of Avril's new song?" a girl not two seats away spoke excitedly as she feigned working.

"Totally! It's so cool! I never thought she'll sing something like that." The girl beside her shook her head animatedly as she twiddled with her pencil.

The first girl played with her jet black hair as she giggled. "I _so_ wanna sing it to this guy I like." She sighed dreamily.

"Oh my gosh! Me too!!" they both giggled behind their hands.

Roxas stared with mild interest at the bubbly girls and raised an eyebrow whenever one of them made a shrill laugh. 'I don't think I'll ever like girls…' he thought to himself. 'Not that I'd turn gay or anything.' He added quickly.

"Hey, hey, you, you.

I don't like your girlfriend." One of them sang as they shook their heads side to side with the music.

"No way, no way.

I think you need a new one." The other girl with the brunette hair joined in.

"Hey, hey, you, you.

I could be your girlfriend!" they both sang together.

At the end of the chorus, they started giggling and laughing like school kids who were given a hamster for a class pet.

"Excuse me…" Vincent stood behind them, watching them through placid red eyes. The girls gasped and turned around quickly, almost slipping out of their wheelie chair. "This is a computer class…Not the choir…"

"Yes sir." They replied in a squeak and huddled together.

He raised a delicate eyebrow at their reaction, "If you want to sing, join the chorus or get out of my class…"

"Sorry sir, we'll get back to work sir." They replied quickly and turned their heads back to the computer.

Vincent gave a curt nod and returned to observing the work that the rest of the students were doing. Occasionally stopping to give a comment or offer better advice.

"Oh my gosh…Mr. Valentine is so scary…" the girl with the black hair whispered to the other.

"I know." She sniffed. "I got so scared." She whispered, sniffing and holding back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Don't worry." She rubbed her back in comfort.

'…' Roxas remained silent as he raised both eyebrows at the display of friendship from the girls and briefly wondered why they're so emotional. 'The opposite gender is a definite mystery.' He concluded with a shake of his head and then returned to his work.

The class continued to work silently and with little distraction. Vincent was happy (although he didn't look the part) with the over-all work and even wanted to (although not very enthusiastically) have a presentation day on the last day of the assignment. Most of them groaned while some others don't seem to mind so much. Roxas was neither for or against the suggestion.

So being the teacher of the class, it was decided that Friday next week would be presentation day for the assignment.

"Class is only for an hour, so not everybody would be able to show their work…" he spoke calmly, noticing the sigh of relief from his students and the tension lift. "But those who _do_ present their work might get extra credit…depending on their effort."

There were a few head's up at the mention of 'extra credit' while others seem a little incredulous about it.

"That's unfair to the other students who don't present their assignment though." A freckled face boy spoke with a frown.

"I said _might_…" he replied coolly.

"In other words, no." the boy murmured as he sunk into his seat.

"Would you prefer free period instead…?" he offered lamely, after weighing the work that was done so far and how much time was left.

The students nodded and agreed enthusiastically.

Vincent closed his eyes and sighed silently. "Fine, I'll allow free period on Wednesday, but your work must be up to an exceptional standard." Some of the boys whooped in delight while the girls gave a squeal of happiness. "I will not tolerate poor effort."

"Sweet!!!" a boy gave a high five to another. "Who know Mr. Valentine could be so nice?" he laughed as the bell rang, gathering his items before getting up to leave.

'Free period huh? Maybe I could ditch…' he thought to himself as he packed his bag. He shook his head at the thought. 'Darn, Axel is influencing me a lot more than I expected.' He groaned before zipping up his bag and heading out to meet with the red head.

Expecting to meet him later at the art room, he was more than surprise to see him waiting obediently by his locker when he turned the corner. He couldn't fend off the smile as he walked up to the red head.

"What're you doing here? I thought I'd meet you at the art room." He spoke as he turned the dial of his combination lock.

"Yeah well, I thought I'd be polite and meet you halfway." He smirked, idly scratching off dried up blue paint from his arm.

"Aren't you just a gentleman." He scoffed, taking out his homework for the day and putting in books that he didn't need.

"I'm a good guy that way." He smirked as he shrugged.

As soon as Roxas closed the door to his locker, Axel took a step towards the art room. "Ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." He smirked as he walked at the same speed at the red head, sometimes waving to a couple of classmates goodbye.

"Gee, you sure do know a lotta people." He turned his head the other way and scratched his cheek.

"I'm approachable, unlike you." He joked.

"Hey, hey. That's just rude." He scowled half-heartedly, landing a soft punch on the blonds' shoulder.

"I'm just sayin'." He laughed as he shrugged and continued down the hallway.

As soon as they turned into the corridor, the place was buzzing like a mad beehive. Everybody was doing something or running off to do an errand. Not one person was idle or not stressed.

"Wow…is it doom's day or something?" Roxas commented as he avoided being thrashed and thrown around the place while trying to get inside Axel's classroom.

"You don't know the _half_ of it." He replied with a smirk as he made his way without much effort on his part.

Finally, after only being scraped on the elbow once, bumped on the knee twice and getting pushed around four times, "This place is a total mad-house!" the blond commented after avoiding a hit on the head with a ladder, Roxas jumped inside Axel's classroom and looked around for a good, safe spot to rest.

After having done that, he dropped his bag on the floor and looked up at the red head expectantly. "Ok…so now what?"

"Get on with those stars or whatever." He spoke as he made a move to leave the room. "I gotta go find me some candles and table cloths."

"You're leaving?" he hoped he didn't sound too desperate about being left alone. "What about the sign?"

"It's already done. I finished it while you were playing on the computer." He laughed after seeing the pout on Roxas' face.

"Fine." He turned away and stomped off.

He laughed even harder and came up to ruffle the blonds' hair. "Don't worry, I won't be gone too long."

"Yeah, yeah. Just go and get on with it." He waved him away.

"Will do. Just don't miss me too much Roxy." He chuckled and avoided the ball of string that was tossed in his direction as he retreated.

* * *

What's with the new doo-dads with Fanfiction eh bro? I'm trying to read a fic and the url is totally different from before! Crickey… 


	30. Hidden

Oh my gosh!! It's chapter 30!! CHAPTER THIRTY!! THIRTY FUCKING CHAPTERS!! WHO LOVES ME?!

Again…I'm somewhat willing to do…err…what cha ma call 'em…Request fics…Lol…any ideas? Gimme a holla yo!

(Ahem…) I'm itchy!!! Itchy, itchy!! Yes, I've showered! But I'm itchy because…I dunno!! Is it hot in here?! I don't think so…It's in the middle of winter and I'm only wearing a t-shirt…Dammit! My skin feels like it's burning!!!

TONIGHT! WE DINE IN HELL!!!!

delayed-reaction – Kya! A new reviewer! Thanks mucho!!

Soraslilangel – Oh my god…one year? That is…really sad to hear…He was my favorite nature preserver!! I love watching him! And I still do watch him on anime planet. And I STILL can't believe he's dead…WHY!!!! WHY GOD WHY!!!! (Ahem)…Art show? What art show…Art show? What art show? Art show!? What art show?! No seriously…what art show? Lol.

AnimeDragonofFire – Lol, I completely agree with you, of course, I've been one for 19 years! Hah! Beat that!! Lol.

Crazydrawinggirl – Lol, that is so sad! You wanted Roxas to get hit over the head?? Lol.

Launch shinra – Yeah, a girl in my class has that song as a ring tone. I mean, I like it but well…yeah, you know what I mean. Lol. And about that girl? Again, I refuse to reveal anything…Muahahah!! Yes, yes. I know I'm evil. Lol.

Kiki Lelsissia – (Snort) He's too stupid to get it. Lol, when it comes to school, he's a total nerd, but when it's about relationships, I reckon he's completely clueless. Lol.

Hypothetical.Wonder – (Cackles) I cannot believe you're the only person to mention it…I mean, come on!! It was hilarious!!!

pride1289 – Eww…that's seriously nasty…They should get it cleaned up bro…

Shadow of Darkness 22 – Awesome, I stopped learning Japanese as soon as I graduated, now I'm in university…Oh hooorah…Not that it's any better. Lol.

Erinicole12 – Lol, yeah. I had a funny picture in my head as well. It was hilarious. Half of the time I'm writing this, I laugh and talk to myself and my sister would look at me all funny. Lol.

Ranchdressing – Lol, that song? Gosh, I have no idea eh? Lol.

Shadoom –Lol, seriously? (Feels the need to try it out…) But yeah, I figured that the paint tastes a bit horrible. Lol.

WGreyB – If it was me, I wouldn't be singing in the first place but admire him from afar…Hehe…(starts daydreaming…)

soraXxXriku – Lol, I LOVE it when that happens! It's totally freaky but funny at the same time!

Zusai Zeshal – Thank you, thank you. (Bows down humbly)

Aniki Studios – Lol, I try to update at a good, frequent pace…In hopes that my readers won't suddenly abandon me. Lol. And how would YOU know it was Namine? It could be some other blonde girl, ya know?

Oh shit…300 reviews…(falls off chair)

* * *

Axel was absent for a good fifteen minutes and Roxas found his pace of cutting the cardboard and poking a hole then pulling a string through it. He managed to get fifteen done during the time that the red head was gone.

He couldn't help it when he started humming a tune to keep himself occupied. Of course, Axel happened to return the moment he hummed a particular song.

"Didn't think you'd be an Avril Lavigne fan." He snickered, his presence finally known and making Roxas jumped.

"I-I'm not!" he blushed, angry that he got caught singing a stupid song. "These girls were singing it like there was no tomorrow!" he reasoned, trying to calm down.

Axel chuckled then ruffled the blonds' hair again. "Whatever you say Roxy, whatever you say." He laughed when Roxas slapped away the red head's hand.

"How long will we be here for?" he asked as he scratched his cheek, trying to change the subject.

"I'll be here as long as it takes for everything to be finished." He replied as he opened a table cloth and examined it. "Hmm…"

Roxas looked around the class and then at Axel. "Everybody's pretty busy while you're staring at a piece of cloth." He stared at him as he finally noticed that there was still blue paint on his face.

"I'm just wondering if I should paint a design on it."

"Painting it won't be nice, it'll smudge easily. Why not sewing it?" he suggested as he started rubbing furiously to get the paint off.

"What, are you crazy? That's gonna take forever!" he cried out.

"I didn't mean sew an intricate design on it!" he held up his hands defensively. "I mean like…I don't know, adding some blue frills on the hems or whatever."

"That's it! I know just the right person for his job!" he cackled as he picked up all the cloths and ran out of the room.

"Axel!!" he shouted out, but the red head was already gone. He sighed, "Geez…didn't even wait for me to ask if there was still paint on my face or not." and shook his head, returning back to the task of cutting stars at hand.

At one point after the red head darted off, Roxas raised his head to alleviate the strain on his neck. He rubbed his neck and stood up to observe the chaos in the room, he noticed that it wasn't as hectic as before, maybe because most of the work was done and only a little bit left needed to be finished off.

He glanced at his watched and took note of the time. "Whoops, there goes Sora's cartoon." He gave a lop-sided smile.

"Did someone say my name?" a certain brunette perked his head up from his work station. Blue eyes meeting blue, Sora abandoned whatever he was working on to jump on his brother. "Roxas!! You're here!!" he laughed cheerfully.

"Of course! I _did_ say I'd be helping the art class." He laughed and noticed Riku from where Sora emerged from. "Hey Riku."

"Sup." He gave a curt wave and walked over towards them. "What have you been up to?"

"Nothing much, Axel's got me cutting out some stars." He gestured over to the pile of said items.

"Oh yeah, we're in charge of the café…but why stars?" the silver haired boy asked while Sora busied himself with picking up one star and comparing it with another.

"Yeah well, accidents happened and we changed the theme."

"Good thing too, the previous one is most likely gonna make people go away." He laughed while watching Sora crouching down and trying to untangle a bunch of stars.

"I'm not really sure what's left to do, Axel's run off somewhere, but I think there's the matter of tables and the kitchen section left to do." Roxas spoke as he raised an eyebrow at his brother who got himself knotted up in the bunch.

"Yeah, apparently I heard that Demyx is a good cook and Mar…luxia has a garden of roses."

"I don't know about Demyx or Marluxia, so I'm just gonna have to trust Axel's word."

"Er…guys? A little help here?" Sora laughed as he held up his tangled up hands and feet.

"Sora, how did you manage to get yourself in that predicament?" Riku asked as he walked over and started to pull out the threads one by one without damaging the stars.

"I reckon." Roxas joined in with helping Riku while slapping away Sora's helping hand. "Stop moving! You'll make it worse." He laughed.

"Not my fault!" he pouted and folded his arms and crossed his legs, succeeding in jumbling himself more.

The blond and the silver haired boy laughed as they attempted to free Sora from the web of strings, eventually the brunet joined in with the laughter as well.

After Sora was liberated from the entanglement, both him and the silver haired boy decided to help lighten the load of what the blond had to do.

"It's really not much." Roxas insisted.

"Nah, two hands are better than one." The brunet grinned toothily.

"Or in this case, three." Riku added.

"Ok then, I'll help you guys after we're done with this part." The blond smiled as they continued helping out the art class.

Roxas put himself in charge of cutting out the stars, it was decided that Sora would poke the miniscule hole on one of the edges while Riku would pull a string through it.

They were done with the task within ten minutes.

"You reckon sixty of these would be enough?" Roxas asked as he held up a star by the string.

"Better to have more than less right?" the silver haired boy spoke as he looked at the pile of said items that rested in a basket.

"But sometimes, less is more!!" Sora raised his arms and made a big motion with it, making Riku chuckle.

"Well, less work for us then." He spoke as he got up from the floor and went over to his previous work. Sora jumped up from his spot and went after him.

"What're you guys in charge of?" Roxas asked as he strolled over, careful not to trip over stray items and papers.

"We're making the main sign for the school fair." Riku spoke as he held up one end of the said item while Sora held up the other end.

There in bright, alternating colors of orange and blue, were the words 'School Fair', decorated with star-shaped fruits and in one corner was a somewhat noticeable black colored Mickey mouse head.

"What's that for?" the blond asked as he pointed to it.

"It's a game! First one to spot the hidden Mickey gets a prize!" Sora jumped up and down excitedly as he held the sign.

"Be careful you don't rip it Sora." Riku spoke as he rolled his eyes with a smirk.

"You evil poo." He stuck his tongue out at the silver haired boy before returning his attention to his brother. "Anyways, like I said, it's a mini game. You know? One of those…um…" he placed a finger on his chin thoughtfully. "Lucky dips?"

"Lucky dips are different Sora. You pay a certain amount and grab a randomly wrapped prize." Roxas explained.

"Ah well, I don't know." He sighed. "It seemed like a good idea. But now that I think about, how're we supposed to tell people about it?"

"You can hand out flyers." Roxas suggested.

"Nah, people will end up bringing up the flyers saying that they found the 'hidden Mickey'" Riku quoted after gently putting the sign down, the brunet noticed and decided to place the sign back on the table.

"Why not tell people about it then? And then you show them what it looks like." The blond spoke as he walked away and grabbed the left over cardboard before coming back towards them. "You can paint a Mickey on here and show it to people."

"Good idea!" the brunet shouted out as he grabbed the cardboard from his brother's hand and went off to find black paint.

"But why do you wanna put the hidden Mickey on the main sign?" Roxas asked, eying the said item.

"Most people don't look at the sign. They either look at the bigger picture," he pointed to the orange and blue painted words, "Or whatever stands out most." Riku explained with a shrug.

"I see, I see." The blond nodded his head in understanding. "But wouldn't it be obvious? I mean, you'll have to avoid going near the sign."

"Yeah, I think me and Sora can handle it. We'll just stick around the café and the gym."

"I'm assuming you're gonna hang this on the front entrance?"

"Yup. At first we used paper, but then we realized that if it get's windy, it'll end up ripping in half." He scratched his temple. "So we decided to stick it on cardboard and then we'll attach it on two wooden poles and plant it on the grass. That way, it won't be as flimsy."

"Good idea. What else is there to do on this sign?"

"Other than putting on a couple more paupu fruits, and fastening the sign on the wood, there's nothing else to do on the sign."

"Look! Look! I finished the Mickey!!" Sora jumped up towards them, both hands holding up a square piece of cardboard.

"Good job Sora, now get painting with those fruits." Riku laughed at the pout that the brunet offered.

"Oh yeah, what _is_ the prize?" Roxas asked as he raised an eyebrow at the Mickey.

"One free drink _or_ cake!" Sora spoke excitedly as he picked up a paintbrush and dipped it in water before dipping it in the yellow paint.

"Courtesy of the café. We already told Demyx about it."

"Man, you guys sound organize…Unlike someone I can think of." Roxas slapped his hand to his face.

"Now, now Roxas…You wouldn't be talking about me would you?" a certain red head spoke up from behind the blond.

"How nice of you to finally grace us with your presence." Roxas spoke sarcastically before turning around to face him. "Where did you run off to?!" he asked as he poked the red head on the chest.

"I went to find Marluxia and asked if he could do me a favor." He reasoned.

"And that would be…?" he gestured for his to continue.

"Sew on them frilly things on the hems."

"Oh." He noticed that the red head was no longer carrying the stack of table cloths and it was no where in sight. "How did you know where to find him?"

"Most of the time, we just stay behind after school and just hang out for a little longer before heading home." He reasoned as he walked over to the basket full of stars. "Finished?"

"Yeah, we got sixty. Is that enough?"

"Should be enough." He spoke as he picked up a candle and examined it. "Hmm…"

"Do you wanna paint it too?" he suggested, his voice full of sarcasm.

"I was thinking of…maybe tying a ribbon on it?"

Roxas stared at him deadpanned. "Ribbons…_you_ wanna tie _ribbons_ on it…" his blank stare cracked, revealing a half grin, half smirk.

"What? Don't go looking at me like that. _You're_ the one that suggested the frills." He retorted.

"Yeah, but ribbons?!" he cracked up, slapping his tight in laughter.

"Frills!!!" he shouted out, his own face splitting to a grin.

As they both shared a moment of hysterical laughter, not too far away from them, a silver haired boy and a brunet idly stared at them with a smirk/grin.

"If I didn't know any better and if Roxas wasn't my brother, I'd say that they're both gay and would make an interesting couple." Sora commented as he continued on painting out a star-shaped fruit.

Riku faked a gasp. "I thought you're not supposed to be thinking stuffs like that!" he joked.

"Yeah well…things are changing you know? The sands of time are shifting and it stops for no-one." He spoke with a faint blush on his cheeks, dipping the brush in water before dipping it in the green paint and painting on the leaf.

"Yeah, it's the new generation." He spoke softly as he watched Sora through gentle aquamarine eyes.

* * *

Personally…I kind of hate it when Roxas and Riku don't get along…I mean SURE!! Ok fine, Riku beating up Roxas so he could get Sora back, but come on man! Roxas is like Sora's other!! So…I guess…what I'm trying to say is…Now that Sora is back…there's no need for Riku to be rude to Roxas and vice versa right?! RIGHT?! AGREE WITH ME HERE!!! LOL!

And on another note…did I spell paupu right? Poapu? Eh…You tell me…


	31. Repentance

I just coughed and burped at the same time…Lol, hilarious! (Cough/hic) Whoops, there I go again. Heh.

Soraslilangel – Lol, wow a tribute? Sounds totally awesome…Damn NZ…doesn't have anything like that. But no worries, I often lose track and don't pay attention sometimes too. Lol. And about that recommendation…(smiles happily) Lol, it's so funny to receive another review from you, but congrats!! You got it!! Lol.

delayed-reaction – Sora is funny like that. I think I might actually end up doing that as well. Whoops.

Leixra – Oh yeah, I guess I gotta agree with you…(Tries to think of some drama for the boys…) Nyehehehe…(And thus, another plot was born) Oh goddamitt!!

WGreyB – I completely agree with that…And that's why I'm trying to well…make them like each other. Lol. But do you really think that frills are more feminine than ribbons? (thinks about it…) Oh yeah…they do…

ForeverOblivion – Oh sweet…(adds it to dictionary…) Paopu…

AnimeDragonofFire – Hah!! I love it when I'm right!! Muahaha!! It's interesting to see a guy (aka Marluxia) do lots of girly things yet still BE a guy…

Launch shinra – Yeah, I was gonna say something, but I forgot what it is. Ah goddammit…that sucked. Ok err…oh wells, I mean, given the chance I'm sure they'd be able to be smart asses to each other, always a good thing right? Lol.

Hypothetical.Wonder – Lol, I'm sure Axel knows, but it's always gonna be Roxas who's gonna be a blond about it. (Oblivious…)

DarkEmoKitty – Lol, wow, you write so much! But yes…I thought it was quite obvious that I am a girl…Anyways, change of subject, I'm not telling you what PWP is, you might wanna keep your innocence a little longer. At least till you…or I dunno…18? Lol. Oh and there's no need to check everyday, (although I feel so honored…) I only update once every three days, that's the amount of time it takes me to finish one chapter. Lol…I'm so slow, must type faster…

Veritas4Eternity – Nyehehe…I'm sorry it's slow, but I'm trying to speed it up as much as I can without it seeming rushed…Maybe check back in like ten chapters or so. Lol!!

soraXxXriku – Hehe, glad it made your day. I didn't have anything like that when I was still going to high school…Too bad for me. Lol.

Shadow of Darkness 22 – I'm glad that you got a laugh out of it!! I always try to make people smile or laugh when they read my stories, and it seems I'm doing a pretty good job of it! Lol.

Kiki Lelsissia – Lol, no worries, I understand the stresses a reader must go through to catch up with their favorite stories and what not. Lol.

Blades of Silver – Yeah at the very end before Kairi got separated or something, Riku mentioned something about Sora's nobody…That was so sad…I felt like crying…Roxas!!!!!!!

pride1289 – Lol, thanks for the head's up. It's not to ask a question, and get it answered. Lol.

Shadoom – I dunno, seemed like a good question to ask? Lol.

Erinicole12 – Lol, confetti!!! I love confetti!! Except when it goes into your mouth. Yuck!! Hope you have a better day at school tomorrow!

Ranchdressing – OHH!! My first request fic!! I'll try my best!!!

Crazydrawinggirl – Lol, I love Sora and Riku too! But not as much as I love Axel and Roxas. If you were my neighbor, you would hear me go 'AXEL!!!' or 'ROXAS!!!' from time to time. Lol.

Angelica – Chapter 31 is now here!!! Lol. The next chapter should be up in three days!

To soraslilangel because well…she did the nicest thing of recommending my story to delayed-reaction. (Feels so unbelievably happy…) And also for finally finding out about the school fair. Lol.

Whee!! We're all connected somehow!!! Lol.

* * *

The sky was colored a brilliant hue of red and orange with specks of pale blue and clouds that seem to flow in with both shades.

Watching the sun set in the horizon, a person sat on the railings, his face placid, his eyes clouded with unknown thoughts.

The surrounding area remained tranquil at the presence of the other, as though it was a common occurrence and there was no need to cause a disturbance.

The wind blew gently, the hair of the being lightly dancing with it. He breathed in and held his breath. Enjoying the taste of clean air in his mouth before exhaling.

He shifted and took out an item from his pocket. Fingering it idly before allowing a smirk to grace his lips.

"It's been a while hasn't it?" he spoke to the inanimate object, as though expecting it to blow up for lack of use. It did not speak.

His smirk disappeared as he held it in his hand. With precise and a practiced motion, the flap of the item opened, revealing lines of unused cigarettes.

There was a dull yearning in his chest, begging for a puff of smoke, a long drag, anything. Anything to satisfy it's desire.

But he didn't give in, "Yeah, it's been a while." He closed the flap and raised his head to meet the horizon. "It's gonna be a while longer, I'm afraid." His voice seemed apologetic and for a brief moment, his lungs constricted for disobedience and he winced.

But it released, allowing him to breathe the clean fresh air again.

Slowly, he placed the package of cigarettes back into his pocket and with his other hand, he took out a different item from the other compartment on his jacket.

Lifting it up to his eye level, he idly watched it through unfocused green eyes.

"Repentance." He spoke as he slowly lowered the item. With a quick motion, the item revealed itself to be a pocket knife.

He gingerly touched it, enjoying the cooling sensation on his fingertips.

And with a deliberate motion, he made a slit on his fingertip. He winced as his pocket knife made an incision on his finger. The same finger on which Roxas had cut himself on.

His face growing clam once more, he idly watched as the blood trickled down and dripped on the concrete.

He tore his eyes away from the bloody sight and looked at the sun that seem to dye the sky a deep red. He smirked, his face painted in disgust as he watched the dying sun.

"An injury for another to repent…"

* * *

"Oh my poor little Roxas has a boo-boo on his finger!" the said person's mother cried out as she hugged and babied him.

"Mum!!" he half-heartedly tried to push her away as she patted his hair in comfort. Behind him, his brother snickered. "Roxas has a _boo-boo_." He mocked and quickly retreated up the stairs when the blond shot him a glare.

"How did this happen? Is it infected? Do you feel dizzy?" she fired questions at him faster than he could answer as she looked at him through worried blue eyes.

"I'm fine, mum. I got it checked up at the nurse." He insisted, offering her a smile.

"That's the _second_ time you've gone to the nurse this week!" she cried out as she pulled him towards the kitchen. "I swear, this school is getting far too dangerous for my two babies." She spoke as she released her hold on Roxas' hand and rummaged around the cupboards.

"Everybody has accidents mum. It's really no big deal."

"Nonsense! I'm your mother! It's my job to worry!" she turned around and pouted.

He couldn't help but laugh just a little. "If you worry about us 24/7, you'll end up getting tired all the time."

"I can't help it. My two babies are growing up so fast." She sniffed, going towards a box of tissue placed on the countertop.

"Oh mum…" he whined half-heartedly as he watched his mother blow into a tissue. Somewhere in his chest, he felt elated that his mother cares so much. Maybe a little too much…

"Ok," she sniffed once more. "Now that I've had my episode, would you like a snack?" she smiled, even though her eyes were still brimming with tears.

"No, I'll wait till dinner."

"Ok dear. I'm sure Sora wants something to eat." She laughed as he made her way to the fridge, opening the door to reveal last night's dinner, uncooked groceries, jams and sauces along with drinks like orange juice and milk.

"When does he never?" he joked as he walked away towards the stairs.

"Call me when you're feeling hungry!" she shouted out as she started to butter up the bread.

"Ok mum!" he replied, climbing up the stairs towards his room.

Once he entered it, he gently dropped his bag to the floor, walked over to his bed, closed his eyes and fell on top of it. Sighing into his pillow, he cracked one eye open to observe the time.

'17:49…I should get started on my homework.' He thought to himself, not stirring from his position. He closed his eyes again and sighed once more. "Or at least go take a shower…" he grumbled, lifting up his arm and opening an eye to stare at the dried up splotches of paint, in hopes that it would disappear.

But it didn't turn out that way.

So with much effort on his part, he pushed himself off the bed, grabbed whatever clothes that were lying about, a pair of clean boxers and dragged his feet towards the bathroom.

Passing his brother's door, he could hear Sora talking animatedly to himself, 'On the phone with Riku, most likely…'

Reaching the bathroom, he closed the door with a light click and then locked it instinctively.

Throwing his clothes unceremoniously over the heating rail, he shuffled past the toilet and the basin. Taking one look in the mirror, he noticed that there were paint marks on his cheek. The blue one most noticeable and probably most memorable.

He smiled at the memory and touched it gently, not wanting to wash it off.

'But it can't stay there forever.' He concluded and shook his head.

Leaning over the bathtub, he reached for the handle and turned it to the right angle, letting it run for a little while to get to the correct temperature.

While the shower was on the go, he lazily started to undress himself, letting his clothes drop to the floor without a care. He leaned on the wall for support while he took off his socks and tossed it onto his used clothes and dragged his feet on the cold tiled floor towards the bathtub.

He swung one foot over, and then the other before going under the shower. He relished the feeling of the warm water and adjusted the handle to increase the temperature just slightly.

Getting through his habitual routine in roughly ten minutes, he toweled dry himself and slowly pulled his boxers and his other clothes on.

Switching on the bathroom fan, he then went over to the mirror and wiped it with one hand to expose a little of its reflection.

His blond hair was matted to his face and dripped with water. He touched the spot where the blue paint had been earlier.

'Well, it _had_ to go.' He insisted and moved away, throwing his towel over his hair and picking up his dirty clothes before leaving the bathroom.

On the way to his room, he dropped a sock but he didn't realize.

Upon entering his room, he rubbed his hand over the towel to try and get rid of the excess water, and tossed his used clothes in a dirty basket that was placed at the corner of his room.

He sighed and sat on his bed, gently drying off his hair as much as he can before deciding to lie down.

Staring at the white painted ceiling, he stared at the switched-off lights. His eyes drooped dangerously low, falling in and out of consciousness. His eyes no longer focusing on the item that hung above him as he fell into a slumber.

* * *

"_Not again…" he groaned when he opened his eyes. Finding himself in the dark world once again._

'_Not happy to see me?' a familiar voice spoke, his voice filled with delight at the presence of the other._

"_Not happy to see you? How can I be happy to see you when I've never actually seen you in the first place?" Roxas retorted._

'_Oh touché…'_

"_Hah, I thought so." He added as he crossed his arms, unable to hide the smirk on his face._

'_So, how was your day? You seem tired.' The voice spoke, a hint of concern present in it._

"_Oh you know…this and that. Been busy with stuffs that's all." He spoke casually, moving his hand from one spot to another to prove his point._

_There was no need to ask who _this_ person was, Roxas knew, and that's all that matters. In his opinion anyway._

_It was quite suddenly, the finger on which he cut himself on started to sting. He winced almost suddenly and roughly grabbed his wrist in an attempt to suppress the pain. But the pain grew worse. He stared at the blue Band-Aid, and noticed that it was stained a bloody red color._

'_Are you ok?' the voice was laced with worry._

_In another attempt to get rid of the pain, he started to wave his arm about but it only proved to worsen the pain. Furrowing his eyebrows at the ache, he noticed that the blood was seeping out of the bandage. _

'_Roxas!' the voice shouted out, trying to gain the attention of the blond, but the said person only vaguely registered the voice shouting out to him. He was too busy staring at his bleeding finger._

_Unsure of what prompted him to do this, he pulled off the bandage to reveal the cut that only seem to flow out more freely, but instead of dripping on the floor, it appeared as though it was crawling on his skin towards him._

_He screamed out of fear and he tried to wipe the blood away with the other hand, but it began to creep up slowly on his now pale skin._

'_ROXAS!' the voice shouted out, possibly for the tenth time already, this time it was filled with urgency._

"_Help me!!" he finally cried out, taking multiple steps back in hopes that it would slow down his own blood from inching towards him._

'

* * *

His blue eyes shot open and he bolted up from his bed. Panting vigorously.

"Roxas!! Are you ok? You were screaming!" his brunet counterpart spoke worriedly as he placed a hand of comfort on the blonds' back.

Unwillingly, he slowly shifted his eyes to the bandaged finger and noticed that it was still covered in blue and not bloody. He let out a sigh of relief and turned to his brother. "I'm ok. Just a nightmare I guess." He tried to re-assure his brother as he wiped the sweat off his forehead, trying to convince himself as well. "Just a nightmare…" he let out a sigh.

"That's because you went to sleep without drying your hair first!" he slapped his brother lightly on the head.

"Just because I don't dry my hair before I go to sleep doesn't mean I'll get a nightmare!" he returned the slap with a punch.

"Well, you just proved my point! Wet hair equals to bad nightmares!!" he grabbed a handful of his own hair to prove his point. "See? My hair is nice and dry! So I don't get any nightmares!" he smiled.

"Yeah, yeah Sora. Whatever you say." He laughed.

"Anyways, dinner will be ready in ten minutes." He spoke as he started for the door and paused. "Oh yeah…you forgot your sock." He added as he tossed the said item towards the blond.

Still not fully awake, his reflexes were slow and the item landed on his face. "Aghh!!" he shouted out and pulled the offending item away from him. "Sora! I just showered!!!" the blond shouted out to his brother who retreated back to his room while laughing like a maniac.

Once the excitement was gone, he tossed the sock into the basket and grabbed the towel that was on the bed and threw it in as well. Staring at the clock, it read 18:06. 'I've only been asleep for five minutes?' he thought to himself, unable to hide the look of shock on his face.

Shaking his head and getting up, he walked out of his room and back into the bathroom, he pulled open a drawer to reveal a hairdryer. He picked up the item and plugged the switch into the socket before switching it on.

In the midst of him air-drying his hair, his thoughts returned to the dream and he fought back a shiver that ran down his spine. "Weird dream…"

He looked at his bandaged finger, "_Really_ weird dream…"

* * *

Ah…I know you all have a naked Roxas in your head! Lol!! Not me though, all I could see was his feet shuffling along the tile floor…What the hell? Lol. Oh, oh! Did you catch it? There was a slight 'whatever' that reminded me of Pirates of the Carribean. Get it and I'll reward you with a dedication on the next chapter!!

On another note, (ahem) oh shit…one minute it's ten minutes to eleven, and the next it's twenty minutes till 1am…Bloody hell, how time flies…

And also…I wanted to get myself something to eat, so I made some toast, so while I was waiting for the toast to finish, I had an idea in my head for the chapter, so I went to the computer to type it out, and JUST when I sat down, my toast was ready! BLOODY HELL!! Lol!

Anyways…if you feel as though this chapter was a tad confusing, I apologize…Why? Because it 'looked' right in my head. Lol.


	32. Breakfast and Plans

Damn…Now that I think about it…This is gonna be a seriously LONG fanfiction…Which in my opinion…Is not good…Lol.

There _is_ a plot somewhere…It's all in my head! Just…there's a lot of distractions and I don't know how to write it out without making it seem…rushed…If ya get what I mean.

And so…I conclude…that I must…plan this out more…However impossible it may seem to me…Lol…

Soraslilangel – Lol, totally random. (Reads back to chapter 31.) Oh, I see how you got a naked Roxas in your head. Lol. Naughty, naughty!

delayed-reaction – I agree!! Roxas IS a cute little bugger ain't he? Lol. But I'm happy you like this story! (Squeals with joy.)

Veritas4Eternity – Lol, not quite but now that I think about it, it DOES sound like Jack in that sense. Lol.

Launch shinra – Aww poor you!! Fainting because you gave blood! What a noble deed you have done!! But yes, it was Axel cutting his itty, bitty finger…

WGreyB – Lol, sorry for the slow updates for only less than ten minutes of reading time. But seriously, three days to update, ten minutes to read! Lol, bollocks!!

soraXxXriku – Lol, Axel cutting his wrist…that scares me, in fact, anybody who cuts their wrists scares me!!! Don't scare me…(Meep!) You got the pirate moment wrong. Lol, but maybe next time!

CantTakeU – Awesome, I like reading one shots, but I can't really seem to write them out very well. Lol, but I'll check 'em out. Worry not!

AnimeDragonofFire – Lol!!! What a total crack up, don't tell me naked Axel and Roxas are making out now…

Shadow of Darkness 22 – Lol, I wish I have a bucket of paint so I can dunk it on that stupid stray cat outside my house…Damn you…stupid cat…

Crazydrawinggirl – Yes, I agree as well, I figured a few people would be confused by it, but oh wells. Lol.

DarkEmoKitty – Lol, no you don't write that much. I've received a few reviews that looked like essays…(woah…so much to read) But no worries, I didn't take offence to the boy/girl comment. Lol.

Hypothetical.Wonder – Lol!! You're not the first to see a naked Roxas in your head. But along with a naked Axel, now that's different. Lol.

Kiki Lelsissia – Err…sorry but the dreams will go unexplained. Whoops, my bad. Lol. But read on anyways.

Ranchdressing – Sniff, he feels bad he hurt Roxas, (though not intentionally) so he feels like he has to make up for it. (Hence cutting the same finger that Roxas cut himself on as well…)

pride1289 – Gasp…high school musical…is it one or two? Because, so far, I really, and I mean REALLY hated the first one, but the second one seems funny (er). Oh, and the pirates thing, I think it happened in all three movies, more or less. Lol.

Dedicated to Launch shinra because she gave blood. Hoorah!! And to pride1289 who seems to be having such a rough time…hope it gets better for you!! And be happy!! (Rawr)

* * *

Roxas awoke feeling refreshed and ready for the new day. That is, until he looked at the clock and realized that school doesn't start for another two hours and he woke up _way_ before it was suppose to toot its horn.

Deciding not to let it bring his mood down, he got up and walked over to his window. Pulling away the curtains that shielded his room from the semi-bright sunlight. He squeezed his eyes shut at the sudden brightness but adjusted quickly.

He opened the window and breathed in the morning air, shivering at the coolness that filled his lungs.

'I'm in a weird mood today. I wonder why?' he thought to himself as he leaned on the window and rested his cheek in the palm of his hand.

Almost as though he was hit on the head with a metallic baseball bat, he remembered. "The fair!!" he cried out, then quickly covered his mouth with both hands. 'Opps, too loud.' He slowly retreated back into his room.

There weren't any classes today in commemoration of the school fair. It's an annual event to fundraise for the school in order to buy new sports equipment, buy extra resources, revamp an old building or to save up for a new building.

He suddenly felt bubbly inside and went over to his closet, thinking of what clothes to wear.

'No need to bring my school bag today.' He thought to himself as he pulled out a white collared t-shirt. He shook his head and stuffed it back in. 'What to wear, what to wear…'

He furrowed his eyebrows in thought as he looked through the articles of clothes that he owned, trying to find the right combination.

Just as he pulled out a sleeveless black zip-up vest with a hood, his mobile played the familiar 'This is Halloween' theme song.

Throwing the vest on the bed for later use, he picked up his phone that lay on his desk and answered. "Hello?"

"Good morning Roxy!!" another familiar voice shouted out happily from the other side.

"Good morning Axel." He shook his head. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing much! Just wondering what you're doing."

"Getting ready for the fair." He spoke as he walked back to the closet, resting the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he rummaged through it again.

"Trying to look pretty for me?" he spoke and Roxas could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Whatever Axel." He scoffed as he picked up a red t-shirt. "Hmm…"

"Hmm…?" he mimicked.

"Nothing, just looking at something. Anyways, why did you call me so early in the morning?" he asked as he threw the shirt on the bed along with the black vest.

"I wanted to bug you, but you're already awake, so the fun's gone." He sighed dramatically.

Roxas laughed as he moved to the next drawer. "Too bad for you."

"Yeah," he chuckled. "I was wondering, if you're not _busy_ or anything, you'd like to help me with something?"

"Oh I don't know Axel. I'm rather busy looking for what clothes to wear." Roxas smirked, his voice oozing with sarcasm.

"Come on Roxas, you don't have to look _that_ pretty for me." Obviously the red head didn't catch the tone.

"I was being sarcastic you idiot." He rolled his eyes as he pulled out a black pair of pants that were worn out on the heels.

"Oh…damn." He laughed. "Yeah…So er…you up for it?"

"You haven't told me what yet." He spoke as he pulled off his night clothes and pulled on his black pants with much difficulty, trying not to drop the phone as he did so.

"The fair doesn't actually start till 10 I'm sure you know."

Actually, he _didn't_ know. "Mmhmm." But he agreed regardless. In the past, he'd always hang out with Hayner and the gang at school until it started.

"So, there's still some last minute stuffs I gotta do. And yeah…you know where I'm heading with this right?"

"Yup, you're too lazy to do it on your own and you're asking for my labor." He smirked as he grabbed the phone with one hand and quickly took off his shirt with the other.

"That's not true!" he whined. "I just wanted some company."

"Yeah, sure." He finally agreed as he walked towards his bed and picked up his red t-shirt and pulled it on quickly without letting go of his mobile.

"Really?" he asked eagerly.

"Sure, why not? I'm already up anyways." He spoke as he rested his phone on his ear and shoulder and unzipped his black vest before putting it on but leaving it unzipped.

"Sweet!! Wanna go grab breakfast on the way?"

"Nah, I'll eat breakfast here." Roxas spoke as he went over to his dressing table, rummaging around it to look for his rarely used red and black checkered wrist band.

"No! Eat breakfast with me!!" he cried out into the phone.

"When you asked if I wanna go eat breakfast with you, I really don't have a choice in the matter do I." he asked as he slipped on his red and black finger-rings.

"Nope." He added. Roxas could hear the smile in the red head's voice.

The blond shook his head as he picked up his favorite 'X' chain. "Fine." He gave in as he slipped the chain over his head.

"Cool, I'm just around the corner."

"What?! Were you gonna pick me up regardless for what I say?"

"Mmm….Yup!" he laughed.

"Alright, alright. Just lemme write out a note for mum and Sora." He sighed as he went over to his socks drawer and picked up a clean pair of socks.

"Ok, see you in a bit."

"Laters." He pushed the 'end' button of his phone and placed it into his pocket. He then sat down on his bed and quickly pulled on his socks and picked up his wallet and house keys before stuffing it into his other pocket. 'Wait…' he pulled out his wallet and checked how much money he has in it.

'I'm sure $30 is enough…' he thought to himself before putting it back into his pocket. When he stood up, he felt his pants slip down just a fraction. 'Need a belt…' he walked over to the closet and quickly picked out a red and black checkered belt which he hardly ever used as well. Slipped it through the slots on the top hem of his pants as he walked out of the room.

As quietly as he could, he took the steps one at a time and went into the kitchen. Surprisingly, his mother was already awake. Since when? He did not know.

"Hey mum."

"Good morning Roxas. My, my, you're up early today." She smiled as she fixed up breakfast.

"Yeah, mum? A friend of mine is picking me up later so we can get the last minute things done for the fair." He spoke as he leaned on the countertop.

"Ok, but what about breakfast?" she asked as he tucked her brunette hair behind her ear.

"We're gonna go get breakfast later."

She sighed. "You and Sora are growing up so fast…" she sniffed.

"Wha?" he wondered, his face filled with confusion.

"Sora just told me the same thing. Said he was going to help Riku at the fair and get breakfast on the way." She sniffed once more. "The next thing I know, you won't be coming home anymore." Her voice trembled.

"Oh mum…" he whined half-heartedly as he smiled at her.

"Ok then. You go on with your friend. Don't spend too much ok?" she wiped away her tears and continued on with breakfast for two instead of four.

He gently pushed himself off the countertop and went over towards his mother, giving her a much needed hug. She patted his blond head and gave him a squeeze.

"Ok, ok. I've had my second episode of the week. Now off you go." She kissed him on the forehead before shooing him away.

"Ok mum. Don't stress out too much!" he yelled out as he walked towards the door, slipping on his shoes before heading out. 'I wonder if the fair's selling anything 'mum-material'…' he thought to himself as he closed the door behind him and tapped the floor with the tip of his black and red sports shoes. 'These shoes are still new. I wonder why I've never worn them.' He raised an eyebrow as he examined them a little more.

He looked up when he heard a car come up his drive-way and fought back a smirk when Axel pushed the accelerator to get the blond to hurry up.

The window rolled down to reveal a red head that wore dark shades. "Yo Roxas! Hustle, hustle!" he whistled loudly.

"Be quiet! Half of the neighborhood might still be sleeping!" he whispered harshly as he came up to the red head's car.

"Ehh, ain't my problem." He smirked as he rolled back up the window as Roxas got inside the car.

"What's with the gloves?" the blond asked as he buckled the seat belt on.

"These?" he waved his hand about. "Makes me feel like a racer." He smirked as he regarded the blond through his dark shades.

The blond rolled his eyes at Axel while a smirk on his own face.

"Ok, so where to for breakfast?" the red head asked.

"I dunno, Kupo Kafe?" Roxas suggested sarcastically.

"Really? I don't know if they're open this early."

"I was joking Axel." He rolled his eyes at the red head.

"Ya, I know. I'm in the mood for their waffles though. Let's check it out." He smirked as he pulled into gear and sped off.

"And keep to the limit this time!!" he added quickly as he kept an eye on Axel's speedometer.

"Will do, will do. Just don't get yer knickers in a twist eh?" he chuckled, not noticing the blush forming on the blonds' cheek.

"So, er…what's this last minute thing you need to get done?" he asked as he relaxed into his seat once Axel kept to the correct speed limit.

"Hmm? Oh, right. Nothing."

"What?" he stared at the red head incredulously. "But you said you needed help with something!"

"Yeah, that was _before_ Demyx phoned me up and said that he and Zexion can handle it." He spoke as he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in a beat.

"Only five minutes have spanned in the time that we hung up and you picked me up."

"Yeah well, five minutes is more than enough to ring up somebody and call off plans, ya know?" he spoke as he slowed down for a red light.

"I guess." He spoke as he watched the red head tap more furiously on the steering wheel. "What are you doing?"

"I've got this song in my head that _just_ won't leave." He smiled as he took off his shades and reached over to the glove compartment, pulled it opened and threw the item in before rummaging around for something else.

"And what song would that be?" he asked as he watched the red head curse and swear at his own car.

"Found it!!" he pulled out a familiar item and closed the glove compartment and handed it to the blond. "Forgot to give this to you the other day."

"Oh, I forgot about it." He spoke as he took the CD from Axel's hand.

"Yeah, I know how forgetful you are." He smirked as he pulled in first gear and pushed the accelerator when the lights turned green.

"Am not." He pouted as he stared at the music list on the back.

The red chuckled as he shook his head, glancing at the blond for a second before shifting his eyes back to the road. "Anyways, the song I was thinking about is called 'Misery Business' by Paramore." He spoke as he continued to tap out the tune. "Not bad for a song that's sung by a girl, I just like the guitar rhythm of the song though."

"Hmm. Ok then." He watched Axel nod his head to an invisible tune.

"But I'm sure _you_ would know. Since you like Avril Lavigne and all." He added with a smirk.

"Not that again." He groaned, smacking his face with a hand while Axel laughed.

* * *

Do you guys watch Naruto? If you do, maybe you'll agree with me when I say that Deidara looks and acts like Demyx. Ehehe?

I believe Axel in this chapter is EXTREMELY out of character…Boo!!! What do you think?

Oh, and why I updated so fast? It's because it's my holiday!! Consider it a…reward for sticking with me this long, but don't get use to it though! I might end up getting lazy as usual. Lol!!


	33. Fooooood

What a cold, cold morning…Actually…it's already noon…Lol. I woke up like…an hour ago to my neighbor sawing and hammering whatever away…How annoying.

Soraslilangel – Kyaa! So happy it's your favorite!! (cries tears of absolute joyyy!!!)

delayed-reaction – Lol, coincidence? I think not!!! But yeah…I also feel like eating waffles too. Lol. Darn…

WGreyB- Coolies! I'm glad that my chapter brightened up your day! It's raining on my end, so err…Lol, you get where I'm going right?

Blades of Silver – Lol, you really should download the shippuuden episodes, they seriously kick ass!!!!

Shadow of Darkness 22 – Looks aside, I don't think Deidara and Demyx have much in common. I like Demyx best, of course. Lol. I reckon it goes without saying.

Crazydrawinggirl – Hehe, good to know that somebody thinks that Axel was acting just fine. Lol.

pride1289 – Oh sadness!! They left you home alone to get themselves some breakfast?! Oh well, my sister does that to me sometimes too, but I usually sleep in till past noon anyways. Lol!! Don't get sick!!

Launch shinra – Lol, that's good to hear, hope you're feeling much better. And that purple bruise is er…rather…er…maybe you should get it checked out? Lol. Also, maybe you should slap her, like in your head or something? It always makes me feel better if I abuse them in my head, (evil laugh) But congrats for restraining yourself, I applaud you! I wished I have Roxas' clothes too…I mainly have black and white stuffs, (yes I turned into a black and white blah freak after I saw Roxas…) But anyways!! You didn't tell me it was your birthday!! I'm so sorry!!! I hear another dedication coming along! Lol. But yes, I'd like to think I'm psychic sometimes…Nyehehe…

Veritas4Eternity – Lol, I love that song too, that is, until I put it on repeat for how many weeks on end and now I've got the lyrics imprinted in my head and sometimes I even hear it in the mornings just when I wake up. Weird? Yeah, I think so too. Lol.

AnimeDragonofFire – I am in COMPLETE agreement with you! Demyx is SO MUCH MORE cooler than Deidara…His 'hmm' and 'yeah' gets on my poor nerves sometimes. Lol. I don't know about the mother actually knowing if her sons are gay though…(Poor dear)

Hypothetical.Wonder – Nyahaha! No pressure taken, it might actually motivate me to update faster, although it's not the same when somebody is pushing me to do the house chores. Lol..

soraXxXriku – YES! Funny but OOC is ok!! As long as it's not OOC and not funny…or vice versa…That sucks…

Kiki Lelsissia – Yes, yes I know…Short chapters, I'm trying to find a remedy for it. And maybe some motivation too. Lol. Dang…

Ranchdressing – Yeah, I know. I wish I get to have somebody to eat breakfast with me. (cries)

Adalibina – Yes!! You agree with me too!!! I only noticed that he looked like Dem from one of the episodes I watched a few weeks ago. It was like (gasp) sudden realization!! Lol.

Smutlover – Ah well…I suppose that's true…but I always try (although trying isn't good enough sometimes) to keep everybody in character. (Somewhat) Lol.

Shadoom – Lol, damn, why didn't I think of that? Lol. Good idea man.

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Launch shinra because it was her birthday a couple of months ago and I didn't know about it. (Epp! I'm so sorry!!)

Woah…(feels dizzy) 350 review hit… Not to mention the 200k hit as well…I am at absolute AWE!!!! (Burps) Or I could be just gassy…Lol.

* * *

"Well, what do ya know…" a red head spoke as he stuck his head out his window, staring at the familiar mascot that's beckoning towards potential patrons.

"Eat at Kupo Kafe!! Kupo!" a low female voice sounded from the waving and skipping peachy colored moogle.

"Cool. Are we going in or what?" Roxas asked as he watched the mascot gently ushering in two laughing couples.

"Sure, sure. Lemme find a park." He spoke as he rolled up the window. "Unless you wanna go in and find a spot for us to sit first." He suggested.

"Ok, I can do that." He unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car. "Should I ask for the usual spot or something?" he smirked.

"Sure can." He gave the blond a salute and waited for the blond to shut the door before going off to find a free car park.

"Huh…" he watched the red head sink into the distance before shaking his head. He looked both ways of the street before deeming it safe to cross. Once he got there, the mascot jumped up to him.

"Hello! Eat at Kupo Kafe!! Kupo!!" it took Roxas by the hand and led him towards the said place, then opening the door using both of its paws.

"Er…thanks…" he gave the moogle a lop-sided smile as he took a step inside.

"You're welcome! Kupo!" it waved happily and bounded off to the other side of the street.

"Hello! Welcome to Kupo Kafe!" the same girl that tended to them greeted him. "Oh! It's you!!" she cried out happily, "Where's Axel? You eating here alone?"

"Oh er…No, he's gone to find a park."

"Ok! I'll take you to your usual seat, kupo!" she smiled and led him towards the same table that he and the red head had occupied before. "Here's the menu, and the special's board is _just_ over there." She handed him the said item and pointed out a black board with colorful chalks all over it.

"Thanks Rikku." He spoke after suddenly remembering her name.

"Aww, you remembered my name! I'm so happy." She grinned as she placed down another menu for the red head.

Roxas laughed, "Do I get a discount?"

She giggled and gave him a playful slap on the shoulder. "Axel said the same thing too!" she spoke before leaving him by his lonesome.

"I'm assuming that's a no then." He shook his head and opened the menu, scanning the pictures and names.

After a good five minutes, Axel joined in. "Yo Roxas, what did you do? Rikku was laughing her ass off." He chuckled as he took the seat opposite the blond.

"That's for _me_ to know, and for _you_ to find out." He smirked as he flipped to back to the previous page, still indecisive of what to order.

"Ah Roxas, Roxas…you, my friend," he pointed to the blond. "Have too much knowledge in that little noggin of yours." He tapped his own temple to prove a point.

"And you might have too little."

"Oh Roxas, that's so cruel of you to say." He gently slapped his cheek with one hand while the other gripped the cloth that covered his heart.

"Stop being dramatic Axel, and tell me what you're ordering." Roxas shook his head, unable to wipe the smile from his lips.

"Hmm…." He returned to normal and trained his eyes on the menu. "I want waffles…or pancakes…They both sound delicious. What about you?"

"I don't know yet…I feel like eating scrambled eggs."

"Then get scrambled eggs! And add bacon, toast, mushroom, and hash brown too." He spoke as he leaned over and pointed to each item on the menu.

"I can't finish that!" he cried out.

"I can!!" he laughed. "Hmm…" he rubbed his chin thoughtfully while Roxas continued to stare at him with widened eyes. "What else can you eat with that?"

"That's more than enough Axel. You don't wanna get bloated on the first meal of the day."

"The most important meal of the day!" he smiled as he spoke in a sing song voice and sat back down. "Orange juice!! Goes great with that combo." He nodded his head.

"Axel, you can't be serious."

"Sure am." He smirked as he closed his menu book. "Ok then, it's decided."

"What is?!"

"I'll get something sweet, and you'll get something salty and we can trade."

"What's with you and trading?" he laughed as he watched the red head call for Rikku.

"It's an obsession…" he replied seriously, making the blond halt his laughter. "Just joking!!" he burst out in guffaws while Roxas just rolled his eyes.

"May I take your order? Kupo!" Rikku skipped up to them, watching the red head hit the table as he laughed. "Hey Roxas, is he ok?" she whispered to him.

"Yeah, he's fine. He's just had too much caffeine." He reasoned.

"Did not!!" he calmed down quickly and cleared his throat. "Anyways, I'll have the fruit of the season waffles and Roxas will have the big breakfast combo. Oh, and two glasses of orange juice."

"Whoo! Roxas! Didn't know a little kid like you could eat so much!" she laughed as she jotted down their orders.

"Wait, I'm not ordering that!" he tried to steal away the notepad from her hands.

"Ah-ah-ah!" she waved a finger at him, "You can't change orders once you've ordered!" she smiled and walked away.

"That's not good customer service!!" he shouted after her before turning back to the red head. "Axel!"

"What?" he acted innocently.

"I _can't_ and I _won't_ eat that much!"

"Well, if _you_ can't then _I_ will!" he smiled happily as he relaxed into the cushiony seat.

"What I don't get is how you can eat so much and still stay skinny." He raised an eyebrow at the red head.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy." He shrugged.

"Well, you can't grow any bigger than you already are! If you do, I'll become a midget!"

Axel laughed and cackled maniacally as he pointed at the blond. "Midget!!"

Roxas' eye twitched as the red head continued to laugh at point at the blond. The patrons of the café stared at them in question. Rikku just told them to ignore the red head. "He's had too much caffeine."

"_Midget!!_" his voice seemed to have gone up half an octave at that statement as a tear poured down his cheek.

"Ok, you can shut up now." He growled out.

His rash laughter finally came to a halt, "Ahaha…Ha…I'm ok." He brushed away the wetness from his eye. "I'm ok." He sniffed as he settled back in his seat. "I'm fine."

Roxas shook his head at Axel before turning his head to look out the glass window.

Following the blonds' gaze, he looked outside the window as well.

Out on the pavement, they saw two sparrows hopping and flying around in a sort of intricate dance. One of them would inquisitively quirk its head towards the other and hop closer. The other would sometimes hop in circles around the other and chirp.

Roxas subconsciously smiled as he watched them. Axel would catch that smile and his gaze would soften as he regarded the blond.

Eventually two other sparrows would appear and the previous two would fly away, but not before one would chirp its annoyance or irritation before going off to chase after it's other.

'Seems familiar…' Axel thought to himself as his gaze followed the sparrows that flew and disappeared into the distance.

"Sorry to disturb your quiet moment," Rikku returned holding out two plates of their orders. "But here's your grub and I'll be right back with the orange juice. Kupo!" she smiled as she quickly jogged away to retrieve the cool drinks.

"Alright! Let's dig in!" the red head yelled as he picked up a fork and a knife in each hand and stared at his food hungrily.

After observing his awfully large pile of food, he noticed chunks of an unidentified fruit lying in a pile on the middle of Axel's waffles, he couldn't help but ask, "What's that?"

Just when he was about to knife the food, he regarded the blonds' question and quirked an eyebrow in return. "Good question…" he picked up a piece of it and examined it carefully. Ignoring the drop of its fruity goodness that fell back on the waffle. "Peaces?" he wondered as he ate it.

"So?" he asked after the red head failed to answer him even after he swallowed the fruit.

"I…don't know." He finally answered with a quizzical look. "You try it."

"You don't know what it is even after trying it?!" he asked as he picked up his own fork and picked up a piece of the fruit and ate it. He bit it once, and then another. "Hm…" he was at a loss.

"So?" Axel raised an eyebrow at the blond.

He swallowed and licked around his mouth in an attempt to pin-point the strange yet familiar taste. "It…_tastes_ like peaches."

"Hah! So you don't know either!!" he smacked the table.

"It's not like I'm a genius or something!" he reasoned, ignoring the clanging of cups drawing ever so close.

"Kupo! Enjoying your meals boys?" Rikku smiled as she placed a cup of orange juice by the blond and red head.

"Hey Rikku, what's in this?" Axel asked as he pointed to his waffles.

"Those are nectarines of course!!" she smiled happily as she watched the two boys stare at each other and the fruity chunks.

"Nectarines…"

"It's _almost_ the same as peaches…"

"Anything else boys?" she asked as she took out her pen and pad.

"No, I think we're fine." The red head answered as he took a sip from his orange juice.

"Alrighty then! Call me if you need anything else! Kupo!" she skipped away to another table that was occupied by the couple that was ushered in by the moogle mascot.

"Well, now that's over and done with, I'm digging in!" he licked his lips as he cut out a piece of the waffles, dipped it in a little bit of the 'nectarine' sauce and stuffed it into his mouth. When he noticed that Roxas hadn't made a move for his food, he pointed at it with his fork. "You gonna eat that?"

"Of course!" he cried out and picked up his knife. Except of devouring it, he stared at it even more. 'I have absolutely no idea where to start.' He thought to himself as he stared at the toast, the hash brown, the bacon, the mushroom and the scrambled eggs. 'There's toast over there, so am I suppose to eat it like a sandwich? That's what I do at home…minus the hash brown and mushroom…'

"You _sure_ you're gonna eat that?"

"Yes, just gimme a minute."

"It's gonna get cold in a minute Roxy…"

"I just…don't know where to start?" he offered lamely.

"Err…well, you just eat it a little at a time?" he stared at the blond in disbelief. 'What kind of idiot doesn't know how to eat _that_? Even if he _is_ a cute idiot.' He did a double take. 'Woah, woah, woah…hold up, did I just think that Roxas is cute?'

"Yeah, I can do that…a little at a time." He spoke as he cut up a piece of hash brown and ate it with a bit of scrambled eggs.

'I'm not gay for him…am I?' he continued to debate in his mind as Roxas continued to devour mixed portions of his breakfast. 'I mean, we're just friends!!' he laughed in his head as he slowly ate another piece of his waffles. 'And besides, he said that he's straight. So there's nothing more than friendship going on here. Right?'

"This is really good!" the blond spoke with a mouth that was half full.

"Sure is!" he replied over-energetically. 'But what about those near kisses we've had? Maybe that means something too. Maybe…he's-'

"Slow."

"Say wha?"

"I said," he swallowed his food and spoke again, "You're eating rather slow."

"Oh! Er…I've just been thinking about stuffs, you know." He gave a half-hearted smile and started eating his meal once again.

"What kind of stuffs?" he asked, in an attempt to start a conversation.

"I was err…" he paused. 'Think fast!' he chewed and then swallowed his half-eaten waffle. "About the fair."

"The café?"

"Yup! The café! That's what I was thinking alright." He laughed nervously and Roxas couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the red head who seemed to be acting very peculiar.

"What's your part in the café?"

"I'll be helping out Demyx and Zexion at the back. Riku and Sora volunteered to be the waiters." And quite suddenly, the blonde waitress popped up.

"You called?" she asked bubbly.

"No, no! I was talking about a guy named Riku. R-I-K-U. Not you, Rikku…" Axel finished lamely.

"Oooh! His name is the same as mine except it's off by one letter!" she deduced.

"Yes…bravo Rikku…now go and tend to the other customers." The red head shooed her away.

"Hmph!" she pouted and lightly stomped away.

"Anyways…" he coughed and cleared his throat, "We didn't think anybody would like 'emo' kids serving them, so yeah…lucky for us, we have Sora and…you know who." He quoted as he reached for his glass of orange juice.

"If you want, I can help out too." Roxas offered as he drank his orange juice as well.

"Really?" he leaned over in anticipation. "You sure about that? I mean, we don't even know how busy we'll be." He tried not to seem over-eager about it. "For all _I_ know, you guys might end up standing around all day doing nothing."

"Well, it's not like I have anybody _else_ to hang out with while you guys are working." He poked at his food, feeling dejected suddenly.

'Oh…that's right. I completely forgot.' He looked down at his own food. "But hey, you know. If you're willing, I guess we don't mind an extra hand." He smiled as he took another bite of his waffle after cutting it up with a fork.

Roxas smiled, "Cool. Do we get staff discounts?" he asked, unable to smother the laughter that was bubbling inside of him.

"If you mean the leftovers, then hell yeah!" he laughed along with the blond.

"Wanna do the food trade yet?" the blond asked as he took a sip from his orange juice.

"Sweet as." He smirked as he picked up his plate and exchanged it for the blonds'.

* * *

I made lasagna two days ago, a REALLY big batch of it too, and I've been eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner since then…I think I'm getting heart burn…(Burp…) Or gassy…Lol!!!

I have class which starts at 8am tomorrow…So I have to get up at 6.15 and catch the 6.30 bus. My point? It's 12am and I'm still awake. Lol.


	34. Frustration

Skip straight to review replies…(sigh)

Veritas4Eternity – Oh yeah, true, I forgot about it as well…Hey! My memory sucks!! I'm sorry!!!! (Feels horribly stupid) I'm so sorrrrrryyyy!!!!

pride1289 – Lol, mythology class, sounds seriously awesome.

Ranchdressing – Nyahaha. Lol, hilarious. Do not say lasagna in front of me again…(feels sick)

Soraslilangel – Man, I was hoping nobody else would notice my mistake. God dammit!

delayed-reaction – Lol, I wanna add it in my vocab, but I always forget…Oh boo me…

LLexAxeLL – Thank you. (Cries) your review made me feel better, a little better than what I felt five minutes ago.

Kiki Lelsissia – Yes! (Another reviewer who didn't notice my stupid mistake!) I like trading food too! If only I have somebody who wouldn't mind trading with me. Lol.

WGreyB – Yes, me and my poor horrible inexistent life…Lol.

Triptic – Wah! Since April?! That long ago? Dang…how time flies…(grabs a net) come back time! I will capture you!!! Thanks for the review!

Shadow of Darkness 22 – You and me both…I wonder what's gonna happen next as well. Lol.

DarkEmoKitty – Lol, silly. It's a school fair, not a carnival! Although that would be nice…I wanna ride a Ferris wheel too. Dang. Have fun in band practice. Lol. I wish I could start typing earlier but my classes are always crazy! Timetable changes every one week or so. (Crazy huh?) Yeah. Lol. Oh wells.

soraXxXriku – Patience my friend, time will tell, it will come…Sooner or later. Lol. (Snort)

AnimeDragonofFire – Lol, everybody is in denial, even me…Although I have no idea what I'm in denial for. Lol, my age? (shudders…)

Launch shinra – Lol, glad to know you're all better! I'm turning into an adult soon…(feels like crying) Lol, but I act at least 2 years younger than what I'm suppose to be. Lol. I could hear Axel laughing his ass off when Roxas said he was becoming a midget. Poor blondie. Lol.

Crazydrawinggirl – Kyaa! Lol, holiday time, nyehehehe…

And by the by, I decided to add in something random, so here we go, (ahem)… Axel's hair is a total ASS to draw…Damn bro! Get a haircut!! Lol, just joking man. I like your hair the way it is…even if it _is_ hard to draw…(grumbles…)

Axel: Shut up bitch.

Jyo-chan: You callin' me a bitch, bitch?! (Pulls out a pair of scissors.) I am not in the mood to hear your bull-shit, ya get me? (Face darkens)

Axel: Epp… (Cowers and runs away.)

Jyo-chan: Yeah, you better run! (Grumbles…) Ho, shit. What have I done? Roxas is gonna kill me!!! (Chases after Axel…) Axel! Come back!! I'm sorry!!! (Throws away the scissors…)

Sorry for that randomness, but yeah…It just popped in my head and it seemed funny to me. Lol. (Goes back to sighing) Oh…and one final thing, never and I mean NEVER, throw scissors or any sharp pointy things for that matter.

* * *

"Ok, so there's still," Axel glanced at the moogle shaped clock that hung on the wall. "Roughly one and a half hours to go till the fair. What do you wanna do?" he asked as he tapped on the table with his still-gloved hands.

"I don't know. You tell me." Roxas shrugged at the red head.

"Hummuhmamuhma…." He grumbled incoherently as he leaned over and rested his chin on the table.

"Speak English Axel." He quirked up an eyebrow at the red head before doing a double take. "English!!"

"Alright, alright! No need to yell now."

"No, no! The English essay is due today! And I left it at home! I can't believe I completely forgot about it! And you!!" he pointed at the red head. "You probably haven't even finished it!! We're gonna get detention!!" he jumped out of his seat and paced by the table.

"Chill Roxas." He started, but the blond interrupted.

"Chill?! CHILL?! You want me to _chill_ when there's a possibility I might get _detention_ for being unable to hand in my essay?! I mean, what do _you_ care? You probably get a lot of detentions anyway!!" he snapped.

"Woah, seriously Roxas. Just sit down and relax for a minute ok?" he frowned at the blond, got up and forced the said person to sit back down and keeping his arms on Roxas' shoulders to prevent him from jumping up and pacing again.

While Roxas continued to fume and hyper-ventilate, Axel took this as an opportunity to speak. "Firstly, contrary to what you believe, I _don't_ get a lot of detentions, I rather spend my time _outside_ of class, thank you very much."

The blond seemed to have calmed down just a tad fraction now, although his cheeks were still slightly reddened with anger.

"Secondly, yes, I haven't finished my essay yet. But!!" he shouted the last bit when the blond opened his mouth to retort. "The teacher told us that it's _due_ on Monday instead of today. And!!" he shouted out again when the blond was about to speak once more. "You don't know about this because you ran out of class to check up on your locker! So, take a chill pill and relax, ok?" he finally finished and took his own seat opposite the blond, still frowning as he did so.

Their silence seemed to stretch for minutes as the both of them refused to talk. Though finally, when Axel's words finally sank into his head, he turned his body back to the red head but kept his head down.

He glanced up to see Axel frowning at the window and quickly looked back down. 'I really got him angry this time…I can't believe I exploded like that.' He berated himself as he crumpled his pants in his palms before releasing it again.

Axel shifted his eyes from the window to the blond opposite him, noticing that he kept his eyes down and averted. 'At least he's calmed down somewhat. But now he looks more nervous.' He raised an eyebrow, gulped down the rest of his orange juice and got up from his seat.

Roxas quickly looked up at Axel who had moved away from the table to the podium at the front. 'Really, _really_ got him angry this time.' He worriedly looked from Axel back to the crumpled parts of his pants.

As soon as Axel paid, he turned back to the blond who hadn't moved an inch from his spot. "Are you coming or what?" he asked, hoping he didn't sound as gruff as he did.

Roxas almost cracked his neck from turning around so fast to stare at the red head. "What?"

"I said, are you coming or what?" he asked again, not sounding as harsh as he did previously while nudging his head towards the door.

"Oh, right. Coming!" he almost tripped when he got up from his seat and jogged up to the red head.

Once he got close enough, Axel made his way out of the door, into the cold streets. Breathing in the cool, crisp air, he shuddered slightly before going off to the location of where is car was parked. Roxas followed close behind.

After about a block, the red head halted and turned to the blond. "Why are you walking so slow? I've been slowing down for you to catch up for a while now."

"Oh erm…I thought that you didn't…want me to…walk beside you." he finished quietly, looking at his shoes and the pebble beside it.

"I never said that, nor have I implied it."

"I know, I just thought…"

"Well you think too much, now walk faster, I'm freezing my ass off." He smirked at the blond before turning around and walking off again.

Roxas watched with wide blue eyes as the red head walked a little ways away from him, seemingly adding a skip to each step. When the red head turned around again, he screamed at him, "For crying out loud! Hurry up man! It's freezing and I'm only wearing a fucking shirt!!"

The blond laughed as he ran up to Axel who was rubbing furiously as his arms with his gloved hands. "Sorry."

"Yeah, at least you're wearing _two_ shirts." He scoffed, "Red looks good on you by the way."

"Thanks, but isn't wearing only _one_ shirt _your_ fault?"

"Damn right it is!" he shouted out, but later realized the full intent of his words, "Wait…that didn't come out right…"

Roxas laughed as he walked beside the red head towards the car that was actually parked in the opposite direction.

* * *

"Ok, ok, I got one." He leaned back on the base of the tree which he and Axel rested under. "Favorite…game."

"Pssh. Is that the best you can think of?" the red head crossed his legs as he laid his elbow on his thigh then rested his cheek on his hand. "I'd say it'll have to be…13 orders of Chaos. Lexa is a totally awesome character to play."

"Really? My brother is the one that's into games. I think he was raving on about this guy called Kiru or whatever…" he waved his hand about. "Maybe I'll borrow the game from him." He grinned as he shuffled forward slightly, feeling the slight twinge of irritation that the bark was having on his back.

"My turn," he leaned back, using his arms for support as he raised his head and looked into the greenery of the tree. "What's your…favorite ice cream flavor?"

"Sea salt ice cream." He laughed when Axel made a face at him. "What?"

"You _like_ that flavor?!" he stared at him with a look of surprise and shock.

"Have you tried it?" he asked as he pulled out a piece of grass and letting it fly off in the wind.

"No, but it just sounds so…out of the ordinary." He reasoned as he scratched his cheek with a gloved finger.

"So are you, but here I am."

"Alright, alright, your cheesy-ness. Your turn." He smirked as he shook his head at the blond.

"What's your favorite color?" he mimicked Axel and leaned back, using his own arms for support.

"Eh…" he clicked his tongue, "Don't know, never had one." He shrugged as he looked up and spotted a hint of blue within the dark foliage of the leaves.

"Just pick one." He rolled his eyes.

"If I _have_ to choose, I'd pick blue."

"Why?" he asked as he tilted his head just a fraction.

"I guess it's because…" he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and exhaled before turning his head towards the blond. "I like the color of your eyes." He replied as he stared into the deep blue eyes that widened in surprise.

He had said it so offhandedly, so casually, like it was something you say to people all the time. Roxas felt as though a bombshell just dropped on him, but at the same time, he felt happy at this new found knowledge.

"Alright, blue it is." He smiled as he looked away, hiding the fact that he was slightly pink in the cheeks.

Axel smirked, even though the look in his eyes were gentle as he watched the blond shyly turn away. "Ok, what's your favorite movie?"

"Nightmare before Christmas, no doubt about it." He answered almost immediately, smiling as he turned his head to face the front.

"Really? Me too." He chuckled as he shuffled a bit more to the front before deeming it safe to lie down without bumping into any roots or trunks. "Looks like we have a lot more in common than I thought." He shifted around on the grass to find a comfortable spot before relaxing.

"What's…your favorite number?" he mentally slapped himself on the forehead. 'Is that all I can think of right now?!'

"Hm, I think I like the number 8." He spoke as he traced the number in the air above him.

"Why?"

"Because, if you turn it side-ways," he traced a side-ways 8 in the air, "You'll get the sign for infinity." He smirked as he glanced at the blond.

Roxas laughed, "Man, you're weird." He commented.

"It beats being normal." He reasoned with a smile. "My turn," he cleared his throat, "What's your favorite season?"

"I like Autumn or Spring, that's when it's not too hot and not too cold, not too wet and not too dry." He started, "I can wear as much or as little as I want."

'Uh oh…getting dirty thoughts in me head…' his eye twitched and he bit the inside of his mouth to make him forget about it.

"It's a great time to go to the beach as well, you don't get sun burnt as much because the cloud are covering up the sun, and when you eat ice cream, it won't melt as fast because it's a still a nice and cool weather." He smiled as he remembered the memories that flooded his mind as he spoke. "Ooh! Don't forget the watermelons! It's great to eat watermelons at the beach."

"Watermelons are a summer fruit." He pointed out, ignoring the faint taste of copper in his mouth.

"Oh true…But I'm still sticking with Autumn and Spring." He stretched his arms up towards the sky and yawned. "Ok. Favorite day of the week?" Roxas asked as he watched Axel place his hands behind his head, using them as a makeshift pillow.

Furrowing his eyebrows then closing his eyes in thought, he grumbled out the days of the week. "Monday…? No…Hate Mondays…Wait, wait…Not really…What about Tuesday…?"

"Sometime today would be good." He laughed as the red head continued to find reasons to either like or dislike a certain day of the week.

"I got it! Saturday is a good day." He smiled triumphantly.

"Oh, lemme guess…It's because it's a weekend." He spoke sarcastically as he rolled his eyes at the red head.

"Nope! I have a better reason."

"And what would that be?"

"We first met on a Saturday morning." Again, this caught Roxas off guard, and again he turned away in another attempt to fight off the blush and the overly wide smile.

"You never cease to amaze me Axel."

"Heh, what can I say? I'm a giver." He spoke with a hint of pride.

"Yeah, yeah. You're _so_ modest." Roxas laughed as he shuffled forward and laid down by the red head, letting his arms rest beside him.

They shared a comfortable silence together as they listened to the leaves rustle and the birds sing. For a moment, they thought that time had stopped.

'This is nice.' Axel thought to himself as he released one hand from under his head and rested it beside his body, his fingers just gently brushing against Roxas' own. 'Yup, really nice.' He smiled as he closed his eyes and relished the moment.

'Damn gloves getting in the way though…' Axel thought as he tried not to frown.

* * *

I actually don't know how big a 'block' is, but I hope it's not that big or far…Lol…Poor Roxas…having to walk that distance by his lonesome. But yeah, I think he _is_ going through some pms…Lol.

Fuck! I'm seriously not joking when I said that it's cold, my fingers are freezing and it's numb and it feels like it's gonna plop off dude! (Sits on it…)

Dammit! I feel so frustrated about that last chapter. GARGH!!! STRIKE ME WHERE I STAND!!!! I was doing everything in my power not to update because I felt so stupid and shitty! No, no it's not your fault. It's never the reviewer's fault. It's always the writer's (in this case, my) fault, yes, and I need, (and by need, I mean _seriously_ need) to think it through a lot harder…Oh, and one last thing before my mood does a 180 degree turn, thank you for your reviews and erm…what's that word? Criticism? Yeah, whatever. They will help me better my skills as a writer, so comments and critics are welcome!!! (Rawrness)


	35. Order up

Roxas' hair is a fucking ass to draw as well!!! Damn it!!!

Roxas: …  
Jyo-chan: What?!  
Roxas: …  
Jyo-chan: Yeah, you better shut up.  
Roxas: …  
Jyo-chan: Roxas…Say something!!  
Roxas: (Snort)  
Jyo-Chan: Yeah, I can settle for that…

Another random script…Anyways, GUH! I only JUST realized that when I updated, I alerted about 80+ people about it. (So cool in a scary way…) Lol, and also...I was just randomly looking at this fiction and I realized how much space the reviews take up because of a space in between them! So i decided to...shift plus enter which makes them go one under another instead of the...yeah well...you get me.

**Soraslilangel** – Hurk…I suppose…but I just didn't wanna…think about it that way…(cries) Oh the horror!!! Oh and about Kiru…I don't mean to…copy…I honestly don't know about it! It's true!!  
**delayed-reaction** – Ku ku ku ku…Oh shit, I have an assignment to do as well!! Damn it!!!  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Guh, again with the short chapter comment…I ought to do something about you!!! Rawr!! You better watch it! I might do something you don't want one day!!! KYAHAHHAHA!!! (runs away laughing like a crazy idiot)  
**WGreyB** – Lol, that's really good to hear! I'm always happy to know that I'm the cause of some sort of happiness. A smile is good, a laugh is even better!! Rawr!! A cackle is just plain hilarious. Lol.  
**Veritas4Eternity** – Lol, a beta eh? Sounds…troublesome…Why? Because it'll take twice as long to update! Wouldn't you agree?  
**Launch shinra** – I'm feeling better, I just couldn't believe I made such a stupid mistake like that! Guh! It's such a simple mistake! I can't believe I missed it!! Guh!!!  
**Hypothetical.Wonder** – I'm planning something different in the future for this story, but don't worry! It's nothing evil or bad. Lol, I'll probably have to work twice as hard though. (Boo for me…)  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Lol!! (pushes a trampoline over) I'll save you!!! Unless you were on the first storey, then that'll just be silly. Lol.  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – I dunno eh? I've always thought a block would be like from one end of a street or another or something, something. But oh wells. Lol.  
**soraXxXriku** – No worries my friend! It's always better late than never right? Lol.  
**DarkEmoKitty** – Lol, I am sad to say that I have never been on a roller coaster before. Thinking about it makes me wanna go…hurk Maybe if someone actually forces me to go on, I might enjoy it. Might!  
**Shadoom** – Lol! Too lazy to sign in. Be lucky I accept reviews from anonymous people, lol. Of course I would, I love receiving reviews. (snort)  
**Conductor of Darkness** – Aww, poor you! It happens to me sometimes as well! But no worries, it usually gets better within the hour or so.  
**Ranchdressing** – Lol, I love that song! It drives my friend absolutely crazy! He's always shouting out, 'AH MY EARS ARE BLEEDING!!' He's a drama queen as well. Lol.  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Lol!! What's a buzz cut? I think sea salt ice cream tastes like those lemonade flavored types but maybe with an extra tang of salt on it. Lol. But yeah, Demyx's hair is hard to draw as well...  
**pride1289** – Lol, I only type with like five fingers, three from my right and two from my left. Yes, I know it's not good for me, but I can't help it…  
**Edo23** – Yes!! Of course you're right. Lol, I'd be surprised if somebody didn't actually get it…  
**XxRoxasluverxX** – Lol, and your wish is my command! (updates the story)

Opps! I meant 20k hits, not 200k hits. Lol, I wish!!

* * *

"You think we're late?" a certain blond asked as he jogged in order to keep up with the red head's stride.

"Nah, we'll be fine." He replied as he maneuvered around the semi-crowded hallways towards the 'café'.

Once they reached the semi-dark classroom and entered it, their sights were bombarded with not only stars and tables aplenty but also many people sitting and chatting away at the tables.

"You were saying?" Roxas spoke as he raised an eyebrow at Axel.

"Pssh, I can't be right all the time." He reasoned as he quickly moved out of the way towards the 'kitchen section' of the café. "Catch ya later." He called out to the blond and gave him a curt wave before disappearing behind the curtains.

"Yup." He replied as he gave a quick wave as well before looking around to find his brother and friend. Once he spotted him, he dashed over slow enough not to bump into guests but fast enough to get to his target. "Hey Sora. Need a hand?"

"Roxas! Man, we are _swamped!!_" his brother cried out as he jolted down the order and went over to the back-stage area. "Me and Riku can totally handle this, but you know, an extra hand wouldn't hurt." He smiled as he went behind the curtains, leaving out Roxas as he gave a dirty blond boy the new orders, "Hey Demyx, table 2 wants a chocolate fudge cake and an espresso drink." He stuck the sticky note on the wall just in front of the blond before getting his attention caught by a certain red head. "Hey Axel!"

The said person was wearing a black bandana in order to keep his hair out of his face, "Sup. Sorry we're late."

"Nah it's all good." He smiled before turning back to Demyx. "Did you get that?" he asked as he picked up an extra sticky note pad and pen.

"Yup, thanks Sora." He smiled at the brunet before turning back to the cake in front of him. "Zexy, can you take care of the drinks?"

The slate haired boy nodded and started working on the order. "Sure."

Sora came out with an extra pen and pad and gave it to his blond counterpart. "Ok, we've divided up the tables already so me and Riku will take care of tables 2 to 8 and you'll take care of tables 9 to 12."

"Got it." Roxas nodded and set out to work. "What about table 1?" he asked as he looked around for said table.

"Larxene and Marluxia are taking care of the register, so no one leaves without paying first."

"Cool." He nodded his head approvingly. "How do they know who ordered what?"

"It's their job to look out for who sits where, and once Demyx is done with the order, it gets passed down onto them, so they know how much the table owes and whatever." He explained as he acknowledged a girl who was trying to get somebody's attention.

"I see." His nodded his head in understanding, 'They've got a good order going on here.' He thought to himself. "Nice job with the place by the way."

"Yeah, no thanks to you slackers." He laughed as he dashed off to a girl waving for attention.

Just when the blond was about to go to his designated table, a certain silver-haired boy greeted him, "Hey Roxas, nice of you to join us." Riku smirked as he walked past the blond with two new orders in hand.

"Yeah, ran into some car trouble." The blond reasoned as he laughed his embarrassment.

"Well, don't let us down, we've got more coming." The silver haired boy laughed as he walked off and disappeared behind the star painted curtains.

"Got cha." He saluted him before going off to table nine that was occupied a guy with bluish black hair and a girl with bubbly pink hair. "Hey, you guys ready to order?"

The boy stared at Roxas through indifferent eyes before turning away. "I don't like sweets…" he answered while the girl pouted at him.

"Don't be so rude!" she slapped his arm gently before turning back to the blond with a smile. "Don't worry about him, anyways." She turned back to the paper menu she held in her hands and pointed out to a picture, "Can we get the passion fruit cheesecake and the um…orange and apple mix please."

"Yup, that's one passion fruit cheesecake and one orange and apple mix. Anything else?" he asked as he quickly jotted down the order on the notepad.

"Nope, we're sharing." She smiled happily as she returned him the menu.

"Alright, I'll be right back with your orders." He smiled as he walked away towards the kitchen and handed Demyx the order before zipping back out to another table.

The next table he took care of, which was table eleven, was occupied by an exuberant blond boy and a shy girl with purplish black hair. He ordered three types of desserts and two drinks.

"They all look so good!! Share with me ok?" he asked her as he pointed to each picture on the menu.

"Ok." She smiled and blushed as she played around with the napkin.

He returned to the kitchen to drop off the orders and pick up the desserts for table 9. He shot Axel a quick smile before disappearing back into the café again.

"Here's your passion fruit cheesecake and your orange, apple mix." He spoke as he placed down the items and regarded the pink haired girl and bluish black haired boy again. "Enjoy." He smiled as he walked away to the next table.

The same order of going around jotting down requests for food, returning to the kitchen and picking up food continued on for about another good forty five minutes before they had to close the café due to insufficient food.

They could still make drinks, but what was the point when there's nothing to drink it with. So once they got the place cleaned up, the curtains drawn and the desks put back into order, they settled down and ate the desserts that Demyx had saved for them while Zexion and Axel offered to make drinks to whoever wanted them.

"Today was totally awesome!! We should do this every year!!" Demyx cried out as he waved his arms excitedly about.

"I think we did great! I wasn't expecting the café to be such a huge hit!" Sora laughed as he tried to devour a whole slice of chocolate cake, only to be snatched away by Riku.

"I thought we'd last till at least after lunch, but it was all gone before then. Now we're all free to do whatever." Demyx spoke as he removed his black bandana and used his hand as a makeshift fan.

"How much did we make?" Axel asked as he gave Roxas a glass of guava and mango mixed drink.

"Hm…we made around about $200." Larxene spoke as she went through the orders and cash.

"Woohoo!!" Sora jumped out of his chair in celebration before quickly stealing a cake away.

"Hey!" Riku called out and chased after him. "Not the whole cake Sora!"

"Mine, mine, mine!!" he laughed as he stuffed a piece into his mouth.

"$200?! How did we get that much?" Roxas asked in disbelief.

"Well…the desserts were three bucks each…and the drinks were a dollar fifty each…and on average, each table orders two desserts and one drink to shake or maybe the other way around." Axel started as he sipped a bit of his mango and apple juice through a straw. "And don't forget the tips…" he added.

"Dude, Demyx made so many cakes, he could've opened his own bakery!!" Sora praised as he avoided Riku from getting his slice of heaven.

"Oh stop it." The dirty blond boy blushed as he waved with a dainty hand. "You're making me blush." He smiled as he placed a hand over his cheek.

Zexion, who had been beside him, had leaned over and whispered something into his ear that nobody could hear. As soon as he pulled away, he had a faint but evident smirk on his face while Demyx's face grew redder and paled in comparison to a cherry.

Not wanting to know what the slate haired boy said to his friend, Axel merely rolled his eyes. But Zexion's action caught Sora's attention, making the brunet run back to the table and slam his hands on the table, earning himself the many glances and eyes from everybody in the room.

"Are you guys…?" he couldn't finish his sentence, a faint blush emerging on his slightly tanned cheeks.

"Are we…what?" Demyx asked curiously.

Sora closed his mouth and gulped. "Gah…Geh…" he tried to complete his sentence.

"Gaga goo goo?" Demyx joked as he eyes the brunet inquisitively.

He leaned over and covered the side of his mouth before whispering the next word out, "Gay…?"

"Yeah, what about it?" the dirty haired blond pushed on further, clearly enjoying the attention he's getting.

"What's it…like?"

This question not only shocked the blond but also his brother, even Riku made a slight double take.

'What's it like?!' Roxas cried out in his own head as he stared at his brother with a look of shock. 'What's it _like_?! How can he be even asking something like _that_?!' but at the same time, he felt curious to find out, so he raised no objections.

"Er…normal? It's practically the same thing as going out with a girl, but except, with a guy instead." Demyx smiled at his own answer.

"Aren't you afraid of…people 'talking' about you?" Sora asked as he used his fingers to quote.

"Let them talk, I could care less, seriously." He shrugged while Zexion nodded slightly, feeling happy that his 'boyfriend' feels the same way as him. "It's not about them, it's only about the two of us. You know? And that's all that matters to me."

Sora, at a loss for words, stared with a look of admiration at the mullet/mohawk wearing boy. Riku shifted his eyes from the blond back to the brunet and his eyes glazed over slightly.

"Ah Demyx, you're a total sap." Axel rolled his eyes before getting up with an empty cup. "An honest sap." He smiled as he walked past the blond but not before ruffling his hair.

Roxas' heart twinge slightly at the red head's action. Somewhere in the back of his mind, it protested, 'He's only allowed to do that to me!' but at the same time he concluded that the red head has his own rights and he can ruffle anybody's hair if he wants. Even if it's not his.

With a gagging noise, Larxene finally had the chance to speak again. "Oh gag me…seriously, this group is getting cheesier and sappier by the minute." She scowled as she furrowed her eyebrows. "Now let's spilt up the money so me and Marly-baby can leave." She spoke as she took out her cell-phone and calculated the pay to give to each person.

"Ok, so that's $25.68 each. Or $25.60…" she concluded as he tucked her phone back into the pocket of her jeans.

"Hold it, hold it. I reckon Demyx should take like fifty bucks or something, he spent a lot of money on the ingredients." Axel spoke up when he remembered the event.

"Oh nah, don't have to go and do that."

"Wait, I totally agree on that! You've worked so hard for the café!" Sora nodded his head enthusiastically as he picked up his fork and returned to eating the cake. Everybody, minus the baker, nodded or mumbled out their agreement.

"Alright then! It's settled! How much did you spend on the ingredients, Dem?" the red head asked as he took a bite from a nearby slice of cake that Roxas had been occupied eating very slowly.

"I'm not telling." He pouted and crossed his arms, determined not to expose.

"Around $55." Zexion spoke as he ignored the look of betrayal and shock.

"You spent $55 on groceries for the café?!" Sora cried out in disbelief.

"That's what I call dedication." The silver haired boy spoke as he took a sip from the now lukewarm apple and orange juice.

"$55? No problem." Axel rummaged around for notes and bills to make up the money he's going to give to the rocker slash baker. "Plus tips." He winked.

"Wait, wait! I don't want it!"

"Well, here's the deal Dem…_You _may not want it, but _we_ want _you_ to have it." Axel smirked as he handed out a big wad of bills comprised of mainly 5's and ten's to the blond. "Remember what I use to say? Whatever you put your effort in, you get twice as much in return." His smirk slowly turned into a smile as he held out the money for the blond to take.

"You reap what you sow Demyx." Zexion replied as he urged the blond to take it.

He felt at awe, unable to form words to express the joy he felt in his heart. With a shaky hand, he accepted the money from Axel and with a shaky smile and a trembling voice, he spoke, "You guy's…are the bestest friends ever." He sniffed and used his bandana as a handkerchief, wiping away the tears that flowed freely from his eyes. "Really, the best." He hiccupped.

* * *

I wanted the chance to write and focus on somebody other than Axel and Roxas, and well…Demyx is just…so sweet!!! I'm sorry if this chapter isn't up to your standard, but maybe next time ok? Lol. But until then, I bid you…goodnight.

(Somebody must really hate me or something, because I accidentally cut my index finger with a knife, (gasp), but worry not! I heal very fast and it wasn't too deep, so that's all good! But I can't type as fast because…yeah…my finger has a boo-boo…)


	36. Going once?

Ta-da! Next chapter is up! Hoorah!

**soraXxXriku** – Lol, yes congratulations, you made first comment. Lol, your prize? An update!!  
**Soraslilangel** – Woah!! Two weeks in Japan? You lucky, lucky person!!! I wanna go to Japan!! (Starts whining) No fair!!! But anyways, have fun. I'll miss you heaps. (Sniffs)  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Lol, everybody loves cake! Except me…You try having five birthday cakes on the same day for your tenth birthday and eat at least a slice of each of them and tell me that you still love cake! I dare you!!  
**Ranchdressing** – Lol, they may be closer than you think. (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) Lol.  
**delayed-reaction** – Lol, I USE to love cake, until I received five birthday cakes on my tenth birthday and I had to eat a slice from each of them…  
**Veritas4Eternity** – I don't think it was silly…I think it was stupid. Lol. But my memory sucks sometimes, so yeah, no use crying over spilt milk.  
**Adalibina** – Gasp! You caught that?! I'm proud of you!! But yeah, I suppose you could say that I'm a sort of supporter for those two, although time changes and I'm more of a supporter for err…other gay couples. But yeah, you get what I mean. Lol.  
**WGreyB** – I ordered that drink at a juice shop the other day and it was so…good…(drools just thinking about it) Lol. My finger is better, somewhat. At least I can actually type with it now. Lol.  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Lol!! Chill!! I was only joking about it and I never mentioned anything about not updating at all. Lol, so calm down my dear. But I have to agree with you though, the chapters are a little on the short side, I might have to do something about it eventually.  
**Shadoom** – Lol, wtf? (snorts)  
**DarkEmoKitty** – Yeah man…what I wouldn't do for that 200 bucks…  
**Launch shinra** – Lol, I hope you get better soon! I didn't bleed much and it wasn't that deep so it got better real quick. And you are the second person to get that Naruto couple!! Congrats bro!  
**Hypothetical.Wonder** – I know!! It sucks how they never actually met in Kingdom Hearts 2 or in Chain of Memories! Total bollocks I tell you!!  
**XxRoxasluverxX** – Lol, yea, I wanted Demyx and Zexion to have a little something, something. And Sora's just Sora. Lol.  
**pride1289** – Yes, I know! It was sad, I felt so horrible when I had to fight him in KH2…but I needed to continue on. So…I'm sorry Demyx!! Forgive me!!  
**Leixra** – Lol, good to know the chapter was nice to read for you. And I like Demyx, he's a nice guy. He was funny in KH2 as well. Especially when he ran past saying, "Run away!!" Lol.  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Yes! You are another person to catch my Naruto character hints!! But I don't exactly support them much. I think you should do gymnastics, looks like you did a beautiful summersault there. Lol.  
**Conductor of Darkness** – Lol! I feel the same way sometimes when I review other stories as well. Lol.  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Lol, I wouldn't mind although I'd try to be polite about it. Hehe.

I dedicate this chapter for Adalibina, Launch shinra and Shadow of Darkness 22 for catching on my supposedly not-so-obvious-but-was-obvious-anyways couples in the cafe anyway. Lol.

Thank you all for the 400 reviews hit! I love you all!!!

* * *

Roxas ended up with an extra $15 in his wallet, and he was expecting to spend it on something nice for his mother, but he'll just have to wait till after the auction which starts at 12pm on the dot in the gym. 

Upon entering the building, he could barely recognize it. There were posters, balloons, streamers and people everywhere.

On the stage, he noticed a small podium and a short, slightly chubby boy with dark brown hair. Possibly the host and organizer of the event.

He turned on the microphone and coughed into it gently in an attempt to gain the attention of the guests. "Ex-excuse me." The crowd having not heard this continued their conversations. "It's time for the auction to be-begin…So if…the um…if um…" his voice was slowly growing fainter and it was getting harder to hear the poor boy.

"Speak up!!" a girl beside her with long, flowing black hair harshly scowled at him.

"Right, right! If um…If Tidus could make his way up to the stage please?"

The crowd whooped and booed at the spiky-haired boy who ran up towards the stage and bowed dramatically.

"N-now, Tidus! Tell us about yourself!" he stammered as he tried to force on a smile.

"Yo! I'm Tidus, I'm a Blitzball player and if you bid on me, I'll do whatever you want me to do." He winked at the girls who swooned and squealed in excitement.

At the back of the gym, Roxas raised an eyebrow at his sporty friend. "Huh…never knew he was so…"

"Cocky?" Axel finished for him with a smirk on his face.

"I guess that's another way of putting it." He laughed.

"Al-alright then…We'll start off at…$5." the boy spoke as he glanced at the co-organizer.

Almost immediately, a dozen hands shot up into the air shouting out their biding amount.

"$10!" a slightly chubby girl shouted out, blushing madly and willing herself not to faint.

"No way! I'll bid $15!!" a girl with very light blond hair cried out as she bumped the first girl away.

"Whatever! I'll bid $20!!" a girl with orange curly hair shouted as she fought with the other two girls.

"We bid thirty!!" two identical twin girls yelled out as they joined in the cat fight.

Tidus, who was on the stage, stared with a worried look on his face. "Ladies, ladies! There's plenty of Tidus to go around!" he tried to calm them down, only managing to get them to scream even further.

"Thirty bucks for Tidus? You gotta be kidding me." Roxas stared in disbelief as he tried to back away from a nearby girl that seem to growl out her disappointment.

"Pssh…" he rolled his eyes. "Thirty ain't much."

The blond turned his eyes back to the red head. "Thirty…you gotta be kidding me."

"Well, yeah. I mean…think about it," he craned his neck to one side, making it cracked three times and making Roxas wince in imaginary pain. "It's only about…let's say…three hours worth of work?"

The blonds' eye twitched. "Er…hello? I _don't_ work."

"Yeah, guess not." He gripped his chin in thought. "You're still leading a sheltered life."

"Excuse me?!" he cried out. "Ok, that's it. I'm not bidding on you."

"W-what?!" his eyes snapped back to the short blond who stood beside him in a defiant manner. "Come on Roxas. I was only joking, can't you take a joke?" he bent his knees and lowered himself down to the blonds' eye level.

"Honestly Axel. You say the crudest things sometimes." He spoke as he turned away from the red head, determined not to look in his direction.

"And the winner goes to the lady with the long, blonde hair, getting Tidus for $45." The boy, who seemed to have calmed down much more, was speaking clearly into the microphone with a strong voice. "Don't forget to claim your prize at the end of the auction!"

"I bet that girl scammed the money from her 'daddy'." A girl close by Roxas and Axel hissed out as she stomped out of the gym along with her other friends. "Hmph!"

"Come on Roxas, you're not actually serious are you?" Axel begged, looking as though he could drop on his knees and clap his hands together at any given second.

The second auction has already started, but it went ignored by the two.

"Look, I only _have_ $45 and I'm not spending all of it on this stupid auction." He reasoned.

"It's for the school! Think about it that way!" he tried to coax the blond.

"I'd do it," Roxas began and Axel smiled momentarily, "If it was for charity." His smile dropped.

"Roxas!" he whined.

"Fine," he gave in after making the mistake of glancing at the red head in his pathetic state. "But I won't go over $30…"

"Yes!" he punched the air above him. "But don't worry, I'll totally lend you the money if you need it to win me." He smirked arrogantly as he stood with both hands on his hips. "I ain't serving no-one but you."

Roxas rolled his eyes at the red head.

"Third one up is Riku!"

There was an even louder cheer and more squeals from the girls for the silver haired boy than what Tidus did. His response, "Hey, I ain't no hater." He reasoned with a mere shrug of his shoulders, but deep down he's thinking, 'I'm a player and he's still getting all the attention, bro that's just _wrong_!'

"Tell us about yourself Riku!" the boy continued once the girls settled down.

"I'm really nothing special." He insisted. "I'm only doing this because a _friend_ of mine asked me to." He turned his eyes momentarily to a bubbly girl who waved at him that stood beside Sora.

"Oh, what a modest fellow!" he spoke into the microphone with a small laugh. "Alrighty then, let's start off at $5!"

Again, a dozen hand shot up from the crowd, the twins cried out their bidding amount and the chubby girl tried her hand at Riku.

Inwardly, Riku was dreading and sent signals of distress through his eyes. Oblivious, Sora was laughing at whatever Kairi was saying.

Feeling as though the end of the world was approaching, he let out a silent sigh as the girls continued to scream and shout.

"$45!! Going on, going twice!! Anymore bids?" the auctioneer shouted as he held out a small wooden mallet in his hands.

'This is the end of the world for me.' He cried on the inside. 'When did he get that?' he thought to himself as he quirked up an eyebrow at the item that was held in the boy's hand.

"FIFTY!!"

Snapping his eyes towards the very familiar voice, he almost let out a cry of happiness. 'Sora, finally. Don't let me get eaten by these rabid fan-girls…' he thought as he slowly let out a breath he had been holding.

"Woah! Would you look at that! A last minute bidder! Any top-ups on that?" the boy with the microphone spoke as he looked around the crowd. "And it's sold! To the boy with the wild brown hair!" he let the mallet hit the podium and allowed Riku to escape back into the crowd.

As soon as Riku got back to the brunet boy, Sora jumped up to him. "Did you see those girls?! They were gonna eat you alive!!" he waved his arms around dramatically. "If I didn't bid on you, they would've murdered you!" he cried out dramatically.

The fourth auction has already started, but none of them paid attention to who was being auctioned out.

At the back of the gym, Roxas felt a piece of him just flew out the window. 'Sora just spent $50 on Riku…They hang out together everyday!! There was no need!!!' he fumed, ignoring the look of awe that the red head was giving the brunet.

"See?! Your brother just spent fifty bucks on his friend! Why won't you do the same for me?" he whined.

"You're pushing your luck Axel." He warned.

"Shutting up now." He quickly quieted down, jutting out his lower lip in annoyance.

Even though they were a distance away, they could still hear the conversation that the brunet held with the silver haired boy.

"Ok Sora, what do you want me to do?"

"You can buy me ice cream!"

"Do you remember the last time I bought you ice cream?" he raised an eyebrow at the brunet.

"Erm…no?" he avoided the aquamarine eyes that examined his every move.

"Liar, you were on a sugar high!" he fought back a laugh.

"Was not!" he denied.

"Was too! You kept on jumping off chairs and fire hydrants thinking you could fly!"

Kairi giggled as she watched the two chat and argue away.

"Aww Riku…don't embarrass me like that." Sora blushed as he tried to ignore the many snickers coming from the nearby girls and boys by hiding the side of his face with a hand.

He turned his eyes towards the smirking people and sent them a bone-chilling glare. Most of them quickly turned away while a couple others seem to have stopped short and froze on the spot.

"Wow…didn't know you could do that." Sora commented, feeling more relaxed now that people weren't staring and snickering at him.

"I'm sure there're a lot of things that he could do that you didn't think he could do. Isn't that right Riku?" Kairi smiled as she swung an arm around the brunet and the silver haired boy's shoulder.

"Sold for $20! Claim your prize at the end of the auction!" he shouted out like a commentator.

The chubby girl squealed in delight at her prize that seemed to regret his move of volunteering to be an 'item'.

"Last but not least is Axel! Come up here and introduce yourself!" he shouted out, clearly not knowing who this 'Axel' was until he stepped up on stage with a large smirk on his face.

"Did we miss it?" Demyx stumbled in from the door towards the blond.

"Nah, you got here in time. Axel is about to 'introduce' himself." Roxas quoted, trying to listen in on the red head's introduction.

The dirty haired blond winced visibly. "Good then."

Noticing, he couldn't help but ask, "Why? Are you bidding on him too?" there was a small hint of jealousy in his voice.

"If I have to yeah. You know how these people are…" he shifted from one foot to another. Zexion came into the gym and quietly closed the door behind him.

B-bidding starts off at $5." The boy regained his stammering, worried that he might get trampled by the red head for any false move.

"What…do you mean?" he asked confusedly.

"Well…you know people like Seifer?" he spoke and the said person raised his hand and placed a bid and Demyx raised his own hand to place another.

"Yes…" he frowned, not likely the way this conversation was going.

Demyx noticed the beanie wearing boy not too far away from them, wearing a smirk on his face after he placed another offer. "He'll make Axel do the shittiest things ever…"

Unable to wipe the frown from his face he placed a bid of his own. "$20!"

"I'll lend you the money, just don't let Seifer win. He's really _nasty_." Demyx shuddered as he whispered, noticing the look of anguish on the said person's face.

"Twenty five!" Seifer called out and received a high five from Rai.

"Bluff it, maybe you can make him pull out of it if you really raise the bid." Demyx suggested.

"Thirty five!" Roxas returned the glare that the beanie wearing boy was giving him.

Seifer, knowing where this was going, didn't let it deter him. So after 'negotiating' with Rai and Fuu, he placed an even higher bid.

"Fifty." He smirked, victory evident on his face.

Not wanting to look as though he lost, he decided to push even further. "I'm not gonna let Seifer win. You don't mind if I borrow some money do you Demyx?" Roxas asked as he continued to glare at the other.

"Hell no I don't mind. As much as I like Axel, I don't want him hanging around me the whole day. No privacy, yeah?" He smirked.

"Cool." He returned the smirk with one of his own before shouting out his next offer, hoping it would be enough to dissuade Seifer's path of destruction. "Sixty!"

Seifer frowned as he tried to pry more cash off his two lackeys but failed. "Sorry Seif, that's all the money I've got, ya know?" Ria held up his hands defensively.

"Correspondent…" Fuu lowered her head in shame, being unable to help.

His frown deepened and his fist tightened. "Fine, I didn't want to win anyway." He gave up with a scowl and exited the building, his two supporters following after him.

"Then I guess the winner goes to the blond boy down at the back!" the auctioneer, having regained his voice spoke into the microphone and brought down the mallet on the podium. "That's the end of the auction. If all winners could come up to the front and have their payment ready before claiming their prize, that would be excellent!" he switched off the microphone and allowed the co-organizer take charge.

"Man…I only have $45 with me." Roxas groaned, the adrenaline of the moment gone and his logic returned.

"No worries!" Demyx quickly took out his wallet and gave the blond an extra $35. "Here ya go,"

"That's too much. The bid was at $60."

"Oh, I know. I just figured you hadn't had the chance to buy anything at the fair yet. So here's some spending money for you." He smiled as he forced the money into the blonds' hand.

"But-but-"

"No buts! Just take it and pay me back next time." He laughed as he walked away with Zexion beside him. "Bye Rox! Have fun!!" he waved before disappearing out the door.

He waved with a free hand while the other held onto the five dollar and ten dollar bills. The red head came up from behind him with a hug.

"Roxas!! You won!!! And you went over thirty bucks too!" he released the blushing blond and looked around. "Where's Dem? I thought I saw him around here."

"I think he went…off to the fair?" he reasoned as he made his way towards the paying booth where the girls were paying for their prize. Sora was already walking off with Kairi and Riku out of the door and into the bustling school ground.

"Ok, so, so. What cha want me to do, oh your highness." He bowed dramatically in front of the blond.

"You can start by going back to normal." He stood behind the girl with the blond hair who was holding onto Tidus' arm.

Once she paid, they walked away looking very happy or with a forced smile, in Tidus' case.

Roxas walked up to the booth and took out his wallet, as well as Axel. When the blond handed the amount of money that he offered on the red head, Axel did a double take.

"Hold it, I thought you said you only had $45?!" he felt very cheated. "You lied to me!!" he spoke like a true drama queen…

"Calm down Axel…I borrowed some money from Demyx." He reasoned, trying to ignore the look of an unidentified emotion on the girl's face.

"Thank you for participating in the auction. See you next year." And with a practiced smile, she waved goodbye to them before counting up the cash and closing the money box.

"So, where to?" Axel asked, trying to fulfill his job as a servant for the day.

"Let's take a look around the fair." He spoke, although he wasn't planning on spending any money, if he could help it.

"Alrighty then, off to the fair we go!" he grabbed Roxas' hand and led him out of the gym. The blond had to jog in order to keep up with the red head's long strides.

"W-wait! I can walk by myself!" but Axel merely laughed and continued on.

* * *

Lol, sorry if you thought that Tidus was out of character, but I had a sugar overload…Lol…Lol…LOL!!!! 

But yeah…nice long chapter because well…Since it sucks and all, I decided to make it longer…Lol…for your sake and my sake…Quantity over quality!! For this chapter anyways.

Again…I humbly apologize…I find myself faster at updating at night than I do in the mornings or afternoons. Lol...


	37. Can't catch me

So like yeah…I told my sister to text my other sister about something, and then she said she doesn't have any credit, so being nice, I let her borrow my phone, and then she throws a tantrum saying that she doesn't know how to use my phone. She only held it for one seconds, and she goes and does the unbelievable…She THROWS my phone to the door and it goes 'BANG!' then 'CLUNK' on the floor. And I just exploded and swore at her. But come on man…she's two years older than me and she's a genius on phones so why the fuck can she not handle MY phone?! It's just a Nokia bro…ain't hard to deal with.

And so…there goes the highlight of my week…on with the story…

**Soraslilangel** – Aw…Ok then…I'll miss you!! They _would_ go much higher, but well…Seifer ain't got the cash. Lol.  
**delayed-reaction** – Lol, poor you. Go get some sleep!!  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Lol, I would never, and I mean NEVER waste money to bid on somebody. Even if I really liked him. Don't wanna come off as crazy or person with no life or something like that. Lol.  
**pride1289** – Ack, I hate it when that happens, it gets so irritating and makes me feel shitty.  
**WGreyB** – Yeah…I would wanna go, but I'd have to bring ear muffs to save my hearing from rabid fan girls. Lol.  
**Edward'sEndlessLove** – Lol, cookie…Have fun cleaning your room! Lol.  
**Launch shinra** – Lol, I'd like to think I have super healing powers. (Nyehehe…) But I probably don't, (boo…) But yeah, I like Seifer, but not that much. He's a serious jerk off sometimes.  
**soraXxXriku** – Oh my gosh, you printed it out?? I feel so…honored. You really didn't have to waste ink like that. Lol. It's not like the chapter was gonna disappear if you don't read it. Lol, silly, billy.  
**XxRoxasluverxX** – Nyahaha…I'll never tell! But you'll get to read it now. Lol.  
**Ranchdressing** – It's all about motivation and inspiration my friend. As long as you keep thinking about the story, ideas will breed like rabid rabbits. Lol.  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Lol! You can have my future cakes then. (shudders) cakes give me nightmares…  
**Conductor of Darkness** – Lol!! Damn! Why didn't I think of that? I'm not good enough to be an Axel…Darn…  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Of course, good things come to those…who are…good. Yeah…  
**erinicole12** – Lol, welcome back. I was wondering where you've been. Lol.  
**Shadoom** – Lol!! Run Shadoom, run!!!

* * *

"What do you think of this?" a red head asked as he picked up a black leather bracelet.

"It's nice…in an emo-sense." Roxas commented as he watched the red head tilt it back on forth, letting the little belts on the bracelet jingle.

"Cool," he smiled then turned to the guy, who seemed to be much too old to be in a school fair, and asked for the price. "How much is this for?"

"$20." He replied, scratching his bushy chin before turning his head back and yelling out, "Boy! Yer got a sale going on here."

A few seconds later, a somewhat buff kid came out from behind the curtains with a cash box in hand. "That'll be $25 thanks."

Raising an eyebrow, he stared at the kid before holding up the bracelet and pointing at the man sitting down. "He said it's for $20."

"Oh eh? Ok then, twenty it is." He spoke as he held out his slightly dirt covered hands.

"Right…" Axel took out his wallet, then a twenty dollar bill and gave it to the boy. "Thanks." He replied casually before walking off, the blond trailing after him.

"Dad! I told ya it's for $25! You just lost me five bucks!"

"Well, it's yer problem for not taking care of yer shop." He reasoned with a shrug of his shoulders while the boy fumed and stuffed the money that Axel gave into the cash box.

Once they were out of ear-shot from the store, Axel scoffed, "That boy was trying to rip me off, lucky I asked for the price first…"

"It's pretty cheap for a leather bracelet don't you think?" he asked as he scanned around the stalls for something.

"Yeah I guess." He replied as he took off one glove and stuffed it into his back pocket before putting the black leather bracelet on with a clip and pulling the belts on. "Not bad at all." He examined it from an arm's length away. "What do you think Rox?"

"I think it'll look better without that other glove on." He smirked as he pointed to his other hand.

"Nah, I'm making a fashion statement here." He replied with a smirk. 'I ain't taking this glove off even if it means my life.' He thought to himself.

"Well I think your fashion statement is a little weird."

"Nobody is normal my friend. Not even you, or me."

"True." He nodded his head as he watched a girl dangle a bangle in front of a boy, possible her boyfriend.

"I mean, what _is_ normal? Hmm?"

"Don't know." he smiled with a shake of his head.

"If I have to shoot all the weird people," he raised a hand and using his index finger and his thumb, he made an image of a gun. "Everybody would be dead, why? Because _nobody_ is normal!" he threw his arms up in the air.

"Ok Axel, I get your point." He raised an eyebrow at the red head's last comment.

"Ooh, look at this." Axel strayed to one side of the walk path towards a stall and picked up a plain black and white wrist band. "Looks almost like the one you wore before except it's not checkered."

"Yup. Indeed it is." He smiled as he picked up another of the same wrist band from the table.

"That's two for $2! Cheap yeah?" a lanky boy exclaimed, trying to grab their attention while making a sale. "Or it's one for $1.50!"

"I'll take it!!" Axel yelled out in excitement and fished out his wallet for a couple of coins and gave it to the boy. "Just these two please." He held up the one he was holding and plucked out the other from Roxas' hand.

"Excellent choice! Would you like a bag with that?" he asked as he took the coins and rummaged around beneath the table for a plastic bag.

"Nah, we'll be fine." Axel smiled as he walked away with the two items with the blond in tow. After the reached a considerably distance, he commented, "Now, that's what I call good salesmanship." He smirked as he gave the two wristbands to Roxas. "Here you go, early birthday present. Or late." He laughed at himself.

"Really? You didn't have to, I mean, I didn't even wanna buy it."

"Who cares? Just take it and wear it next time we hang out or something." He smirked as he dangled the two items in front of the blond who took it gingerly.

"Thanks." He smiled as he fingered them gently before slipping them on his free wrist.

"Now that's," he pointed to his arm, "A weird fashion statement." He smirked.

"Hey," he shrugged, "Nobody's normal."

After another hour at the fair, Roxas concluded that Axel likes to spend on impulse. Which, in his opinion, is not good.

"Stop buying so much!" Roxas cried out after Axel dumped another black button up collared shirt on the blond, for the blond. "This is ridiculous…"

"But it's all for you!!"

"Stop buying stuffs for me then, gosh!"

"Ok then." He replied as he paid a nearby stall for a 'Nightmare before Christmas' black Jack Skelington tie and gave it to the blond.

"Axel! What did I just say?!"

"I didn't buy it for you." He reasoned as he examined a ying yang necklace.

"Is that so…" he raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"I bought it for me, but I didn't want it so I gave it to you!" he laughed at himself. "Good one yeah?"

"Oh, ha ha…" he rolled his eyebrows at the red head.

At first, it started out with just _one_ black button up collared t-shirt. Then Axel found another one except with a white dragon pattern on it and bought it too. Five minutes after that, Roxas was holding onto five t-shirts of different patterns but of the same color.

'What kind of fair is this? It's like every year the stuffs keeps on getting better…' Roxas thought to himself as he followed the red head stall after stall. 'What happened to the hacky sacks and the cheap plastic bracelets and the origami flowers?!'

"Yo, how much is this?" Axel asked as he picked up a 'Nightmare before Christmas' shoulder bag.

"$25, cheapest you'll ever find." The salesgirl smiled.

"Hm…" he examined the bag for any faults, and after finding none, he decided to buy it. "Alright then." He took out two notes, a twenty and a five, and gave it to the girl. "Thanks." He smiled then walked over to the blond with the bag in hand.

"Axel…My hands are full…and _stop_ buying stuffs I don't need!!" he cried out desperately. "You practically spent all of my allowance in less than two hours!"

"Not to worry my friend." He unzipped the bag and one by one, he took the items that the blond was holding and stuffed it into the bag. Once the bag couldn't handle anymore, he zipped it back up and threw it over the blonds' head and rested it on his shoulder. "There! Now you can carry more stuffs!" he smiled as he walked off again in his hunt for more needless things to buy.

"Axel!" he cried out frantically and chased after the red head. "As er...my…servant whatever, I demand that you stop buying things that you and I both don't need!"

"Aww man…" he slumped his shoulders and looked at Roxas' shoes. "I am unable to disobey a direct order…Nice shoes by the way." He pointed.

"Oh, thanks." He looked down at his own shoes and when he looked back up, the red head was gone. "Hey!!" he turned around and found him looking at something at another stall. He was about to go yell at him again when a hand appeared on his shoulder.

"Hey Roxas."

The said person looked up to find a familiar blond. "Hey Demyx."

"I see you're having some trouble with Axel." He laughed.

"Yeah." His head drooped as he sighed. "He won't stop buying stuffs."

"He's got a bit of a problem with that." He reasoned as he shifted his eyes to the red head who seem to be haggling for a cheaper price. "He normally doesn't spend much, but when he does, he can't stop."

"Do you know how to stop him?" he pleaded as he adjusted the weight on his shoulder with a small tilt.

"Have you asked him too?"

"Yes…a few times already." He gave the blond a dead-panned look.

"Ok…have you threatened him yet?" he suggested.

Roxas' eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Not yet, but I'm gonna give it a try." He spoke as he walked towards the red head.

"Sweet, but if it fails, try running away!" Demyx shouted out with a wave.

Roxas would've returned the wave, but all he could manage was a smile. As soon as he got to the red head, he coughed to get his attention.

Axel whizzed around with a broad smile and a box saying 'D.I.Y CUPS!' "Look Roxas!! You can paint on it and everything!!" he turned back to the salesperson, "I'll take two!"

"That'll be $20 thank you."

"Whoo, cheap as." He took out his wallet and paid before the salesperson could change his mind. When he turned back to the blond, Roxas shot him glare. "Er…" he found himself unable to look away. 'Oh shit, I'm in big trouble aren't I?' he thought to himself. "Look what I got!" he spoke in a sing-song voice as he tried to change the subject.

Roxas closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

'Oh yeah…I'm in deep shit now…' Axel almost cowered in fear.

The blond then breathed out and shot his eyes opened at the red head. "If you buy _one_ more thing, I'm gonna ditch you." He warned.

"Aww, but Roxas!! There's so many good stuffs here!!" he whined as he continued to hold onto a box in each hand.

"I don't care!! Your excessive spending is not good for you!" he yelled, subconsciously crumpling the shirts that he was holding. "And my arms are getting sore." He added.

"Ok, ok. I won't buy anymore stuffs. I promise."

"Good." He nodded his head and walked away, 'Hm…threatening _does_ work…I'll keep that in mind for next time.' He smiled. 'Oh yeah…I still have to buy something for mum.'

"So erm…where to?" he asked as he followed the blond obediently.

"I just have to get something for mum then we can go and…do whatever I guess." He shrugged as he scanned around the stalls for something 'mother-material'.

"Ooh! Look at this Rox!" he picked up a phone chain that had a 'Nightmare before Christmas' theme on it. "Can I buy it?"

Roxas stared at the red head with a blank face before turning around and walking off without another word.

"Hey, hey!!" he shouted after the blond and quickly asked the boy standing behind the table. "How much?"

"$2…?" he stared at the red head confusedly.

"Ok, here's five bucks, keep the change." He spoke after rummaging around the wallet, dropped the money on the table and running off to catch the blond. "Roxas!!"

The blond increased his pace and tried to lose him in the crowd, but unfortunately, Axel had the advantage of height, so he could easily spot the short blond from a mile away.

"Roxas! Come on!" he shouted as he maneuvered around the crowd while keeping an eye on the said person. "It's the last one! The _very_ last one!!" he saw the blond turn a corner in an attempt of losing him, but Axel jogged after him, all the while ignoring the stares and glances he was receiving from the other fair-goers.

He turned the corner after the blond and found himself unable to detect Roxas anywhere. "What the hell?" he wondered and started to walk in the direction that the blond could've gone. 'What a sneaky little devil…trying to get rid of me like that.' He thought to himself as he looked behind the stalls, got up on his tip-toes and even did a 360 degree turn trying to find him.

Sighing, he took out his phone and dialed the number which he memorized and listened carefully.

Five feet to the left, he heard a phone go off. Five feet to his left through a crack in-between two stalls, he heard a tussling of bags and clothes. He smirked and walked closer to his target. He found the blond rummaging around his pockets for his phone and when he finally got it out, Axel hung up.

"Well, well, well…if it isn't Roxy…" he spoke with a smirk on his face. Proud of his idea.

"You cheated…" he pouted and walked off, leaving the clothes on the floor for the red head to pick up.

"Hey!" he shouted when the blond walked off. "Hey!!" he shouted again when he noticed that the blond was seriously going to leave the things he bought for him on the floor. Hurriedly, he picked everything up with gusto and chased after the blond again. 'Why are we playing cat and mouse?!' he growled and grumbled but decided to let him have his fun for the moment.

* * *

Ho hum…I don't seem to be enjoying this chapter either. They both seem out of character and I'm seriously losing it. Which just plain SUCKS!

I have too many distractions going around and well…yeah, you know how distractions can be…They can either help me or put me in a complete state of gibberish…


	38. Practice

So…I'm surprised you tuned in to this chapter…considering how much the last chapter _sucked_!!

I was distracted half of the time when I was typing out this chapter, so very sorry…Keep that in mind when reading. Lol.

**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Muahaha…fear not, you will find out soon…er…or later. Lol.  
**DarkEmoKitty** – Lol, really? I don't like it if they're OOC too much, but oh wells…it can't be helped. But yeah, don't worry, I just flat out punched the guy who tried to make the moves on me. (Jackass…)  
**WGreyB** – Excellent! Because…actually, I'm a bit of a impulse buyer as well. Of course, that is when I look at the price and I go, 'Hm, not bad, not bad.' Then I buy it. Lol.  
**Hypothetical.Wonder** – Lol, quirky personality, I like that.  
**Erinicole12** – I've never played the game cat and mouse, I've only heard about it or read about it. So, yeah, lol.  
**pride1289** - Lol, my sister's friend got it for me for a present. No idea why. Said it was a late…birthday? Gift or something. Lol.  
**delayed-reaction** – Lol, you'll find out eventually. If not, I'll make sure to leave a note. Lol.  
**Launch shinra** – Lol, no my phone is fine and still in one piece, just a couple of scratches, is all. Lol, by the way, what's nightmare on elm street? Is sounds familiar but I can't quite…pinpoint it. Anyways, I have a black and white checkered wristband too, on the look out for a red and black one. Muahaha. I think Demyx coming out of no-where is hilarious.  
**soraXxXriku** – Lol, if I printed out a page just to read, my sister would kill me. Lol, her words would be, 'Why are you wasting ink?! You've got money to buy another catridge??!' Lol…  
**Shadoom** – Lol, true. I like shopping just no more than a half hour of shopping max. Lol, I get bored real easy…  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Ack…damn, what's with these stupid cars?! My sister was in a car accident too, the whole front part of the car was completely totaled…But she came out ok…So I'm glad.  
**Ranchdressing** – Damn…who knows eh? Lol, I'm interested to find out as well.

Oi, **Kiki** **Lelsissia**, you better be happy! I did all this for you!!!! What, with your constant comments and reviews on 'short chapter this, short chapter that', HAH! It's a miracle I still write. Lol. Anyways, the chapter is now DOUBLE (Oohh…) the length!! Twice the fun! Twice the enjoyment!! (Twice the effort and work for me too…Lol!)

* * *

"Come on Roxas, I won't do it again. I promise!" he pleaded as he walked behind the blond that was going for the exit of the school grounds.

"That's what you said last time." He rolled his eyes before sighing in exasperation.

"Ok, ok! This time I'll prove it! Tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it."

"You'll even jump off a bridge if I asked you to?" he spun on his heels and turned around to face the red head who almost bumped into the short blond.

"Bungee ain't so bad…" he reasoned after getting his footing.

"I wasn't talking about bungee…" he rolled his eyes and walked away again.

"Anything that isn't life threatening?" he tried once more.

He stopped walking and contemplated. And then, it was quite suddenly that Roxas had an idea. He slowly turned back to Axel who watched him with worried eyes.

'Oh damn…I'm gonna die aren't I?' Axel thought to himself as he gulped.

"What do you think of church…?" The blond asked cautiously.

'Oh shit…' trying to keep his face normal, or as normal as it can be, he replied carefully, "It's ok I guess…."

"So, you wouldn't happen to have a thing against it do you?" he folded his arms.

'Oh double shit…' he paused for a second, ignoring the shirt that fell from his grip to the floor before replying, "Not really, no…"

"So, you wouldn't mind sacrificing a weekend to join me for Sunday service now, would you?" he scratched his chin casually, all the while daring the red head to reject.

'Oh fuckity, fuck, fuck, fuck…' there was a mental image of him just breaking apart and falling into little pieces in front of the blond. "I guess not…" his lips twitched up in a forced smile.

"Good." He smiled innocently and held his hand out to carry the boxes of 'D.I.Y CUPS!' and the shirt that fell to the floor. "Service starts at 9.30, so it'll do you some good to wake up by 8.30 and get to my house at 9am ok?" he continued to smile innocently before turning around and walking off in the direction of Axel's car.

'Great, I just got myself on death row.' He thought to himself as he dragged his feet after the blond. 'If this is his version of a joke, it's not funny and I'm not laughing…'

Once they got to the car and unloaded the bags into the trunk, by some coincidence, Axel's mobile started playing an interesting electric guitar piece.

Axel closed the cover and quickly retrieved the ringing device from his back pocket, pushed the talk button and raised it to his ear, "Yo, hit me."

Roxas stared with mild interest while leaning over the top of the black Integra as the red head held a one-way conversation over the phone.

The red head opened the door and ducked inside his car to look at the digital clock before coming back out and leaned on the side "Yeah, sure. I've got time to kill, but Roxas is with me though."

Perking up his ears at the mention of his name, he tilted his head a little closer in hopes that he could hear bits of the conversation.

"We should be there in about fifteen minutes or so." He replied as he got into his car and the blond followed suit. "Yup, you've got mine right?" he asked as he closed the door and started the engine. "Ok sweet. I'll see you later then." He finally pushed the end button and tucked the phone back into his back pocket.

"Aren't you gonna end up squishing it?" Roxas asked as he closed the door and buckled on his seatbelt.

"Squish it?" he started laughing. "Nah, I've been doing it for years, still fine to me." He continued to chuckle as he put the car into gear before driving off.

"Ok then. Where are we going?"

"Now, that's for _me_ to know and for _you_ to find out."

Roxas pouted, having felt cheated out of valuable information. Especially when his name was mentioned. "Ok then…what ring-tone did you use?"

"Ah, that, my friend, I can answer." He shifted to second gear and increased his speed but still kept under the 50km/h limit. "It's 'Hit the Floor' by Linkin Park. I'm surprised you don't know. Considering you have a whole album of their song."

"The album I have is the 'Hybrid Theory', which is like their first album…it doesn't include any of their recent songs, so sorry if I failed to meet your expectations." He huffed defiantly.

Axel winced at the blonds' use of tone but smirked none the less, "No need to huff and puff like the small, bad wolf now Roxy."

"Shut up." He punched the red head on the shoulder but returned the smirk with one of his own.

After a good ten minute of random chattering, they reached a part the city limits where the abandoned warehouses and buildings were. Roxas stared out the windows with worried eyes. "Axel, where are we?" he asked in a worried voice.

"We're going to a nice, secluded location where we can make be-a-_u_-tiful music."

"This is hardly nice…" he thought as he noticed a couple of stray cats. "What music are you talking about anyway?" he turned his head to the red head who slowed down his speed to 30km/h.

"You'll see…you'll see." He spoke in a quiet but mischievous tone.

'I'm afraid…very, _very_ afraid…' The blond gulped silently as he turned back to watch the passing scenery.

Axel stopped the car in front of a building that seemed no different to the other. Nearby was another car but Roxas couldn't recognize who it belonged to. Axel eased himself out of the car and waited for the blond to get out so he could lock it, but Roxas still stayed in the car.

He opened the door again and stared at the blond. "Hello? Are you getting out or do I have to drag you out?" he asked as he quirked up an eyebrow.

"Who drives that car?" he pointed to the blue colored car.

"That car?" he turned around and looked at it. "It's Demyx's, but he's a horrible driver so it practically belongs to Zexion." He chuckled as Roxas finally unbuckled the seatbelt and slowly got out of the car.

"Demyx owns a blue Holden Commodore?" he closed the door and walked closer to the said vehicle.

"Yup, blue is his favorite color." He started walking towards the run-down building. "Zexion has a black Mazda Familia, he would've driven it today but Demyx picked him up instead."

'Do all emo's own sports cars too?' he thought to himself as he examined the insides of the car.

"Oi, are you coming or what?" Axel shouted at the blond who almost jumped.

"Yeha, I'm coming." Cautiously but quickly enough, he followed the red head inside the building.

When he pried his eyes away from the car, he noticed that the building looming over him was at least ten stories high. Fighting back a shiver that ran down his spine, he continued to follow Axel inside the building.

'Please don't use the elevators, I don't wanna use the elevators.' He pleaded. He already willingly entered a run-down building that looked like it wanted to collapse, no way is he gonna go up using a possibly run-down elevator too. Stairs, he wouldn't mind so much, but the fact that the ceilings were peeling and breaking off and the whole place creaking at their presence, he rather stay at the ground floor and run out at any sign of disintegration.

"So err…" he tried to make light conversation. "What are we doing here?"

"You'll see."

"Come on Axel, this place is creeping me out. The least you could do is tell me why you've brought me here for." He reasoned, hoping he didn't sound as pathetic as he did.

"Ok, fine, fine." He waved an arm around as he maneuvered around with ease. "We're here for band practice."

"Band practice?" he stared at the red head incredulously.

"Yeah, we come here sometimes and just hang around for a bit." He spoke as he turned a corner and walked towards a closed door with a ray of light showing through the cracks.

"So do you play at concerts or something?"

"Nah, we don't actually compose any music, we just play whatever we hear on the radio." He reasoned as he outstretched his hand towards the door knob. "Demyx composed a couple of songs but he doesn't want us to play it." He laughed, "Too shy about it I guess." He turned the door knob and swung open the door.

"Yo Axel! Sup Roxas! Where have you guys been?" a voice greeted them from inside.

"Speak of the devil." Axel smirked while Roxas waved as the red head walked towards the dirty haired blond. "So, you got it right?"

"Yup, it's just over there." Demyx spoke as he pointed towards a guitar stand.

"Sweet."

"Hey, hey! No greeting for us?" a rough voice sounded from the back of the room.

Roxas shifted his eyes from Demyx and found the owner of said voice. "Hey Xigbar." He waved and smiled, feeling a lot more comfortable about greeting them and being around the gang since he'd been hanging around them the whole week.

"Roxas, don't be shy! Go grab a seat!" Demyx smiled as he gestured towards a chair close to himself. Next to the rocker was the slate haired boy who was trying to tune his own guitar to Demyx's.

Suddenly, a shiver ran down his spine and he ever so slowly turned around to come face to face with the blue haired boy. He gulped and greeted him with a small wave, "Hey Sai'x."

"Hello Roxas..." he greeted with a nod of his head. "Did you see the full moon on Wednesday night? Shining so brightly in the night sky…" he sounded at ease and calm. "Did you feel its euphoria?"

"It was…very beautiful…" he replied with a lop-sided smile.

"Yes, it was…" he nodded his head once more and moved to setup his drum-set.

The blond finally noticed the many circular black bags in his hands. 'Must've been heavy…' he thought to himself as he looked around the room.

It was grey and dusty. The corners had spider-webs in them and he reckoned that if the room was given a good scrub down, it would probably turn out to be a white office room.

The amps were suddenly switched on and Axel started playing a tune on his electric guitar, gaining the attention of the blond. Once he was done with his little 'practice', he smirked as he shifted his eyes to the blond who merely shook his head but was unable to wipe the grin off his face.

"So, what're you guys called?" Roxas asked as he dragged the unclaimed seat towards the front of the room where he could get a better view of them.

Demyx regarded the question and tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well…" he smiled gleefully.

"We're not gonna call ourselves the 'Melodious Nocturne'." Axel quoted with a mocking voice.

"Aww…but it sounds so cool!" the mullet/mohawk wearer pouted as he crossed his arms.

"We don't have a name Rox, if we make a name, we'll end up performing at clubs and bars and whatever." Axel reasoned as he tuned his guitar, feeling as though it was a bit off-tune.

"What's wrong with that?" the short blond asked as he took a seat.

"A," Axel stuck out his thumb and pointed at it. "We don't have the time to go to gigs and whatever, some of us work. B," he stuck out his index finger in addition to the thumb and pointed to it as well. "We don't have our own original songs. And C…" he stuck out a third finger but failed to find a reason to go with it. "C…we just don't have the time and resources." He explained with a shrug.

"That's just you being lazy Axel. Have you considered what the others might think?" Roxas asked as he looked at Demyx.

"Well…I work as well…and it's true we don't have our own songs, so it's not really Axel being lazy." The dirty haired blond reasoned.

"Oh…and here I thought it was just Axel being sluggish." Roxas shrugged, ignoring the look of hurt coming from the said person.

"Aw, Roxas…you're so cruel to me!!" he raised his hand and covered his mouth.

"Oh please, nothing you do here can embarrass me." The blond rolled his eyes.

"I beg to differ." He smirked as he went to a box that was by Xigbar and took out a ukulele. He started playing a tune and sang,

"Ice cold Roxas,  
Never did I meet a,  
Boy who's oh so mean  
When I told him about my dream." He noticed the slight blush forming on the blonds' cheeks and sang in a louder voice.

"Then he left me caged,  
Sitting on the stage...  
What a jackal thing to do to Axel." He paused in playing the ukulele and regarded himself. "Me." He smirked and continued playing. "That's axel, the boy with the red hair."

Demyx then joined in with a kiddy-ish voice. "Poor, poor Axel,

Never saw the jackal...?" he smacked himself for being unable to find a better rhyme. "Roxas can't you find it in your heart," he took a deep breath and sang out the next part in a low voice. "To help himm…"

Axel fought back hysterical laughter at how quick Demyx was at getting the tune before continuing the song, "How mean could one boy beeee??

Ice cold Roxas,"

Both Axel and Demyx sang out the next part together. "Won't you be sweeter to meee??"

When the song (Whatever it was…) ended, the both of them broke out in guffaws and knee slapping, ignoring the looks they were both receiving from (almost) everybody in the room. Even Sai'x was contemplating his sanity for being around them.

"You watched the movie too?" the red head asked the dirty haired rocker in between his laughter.

"Yeah, I made Zexion watch it with me." The slate haired boy turned away in aggravation, having heard his name in the conversation.

"The voices were total crack ups!"

"Tell me about it!!"

Roxas scratched his cheek cautiously while staring at the blond and red head with raised eyebrows. 'What the…?' he thought to himself as he remained silent. He shifted his eyes and looked at the reactions from the other people.

Sai'x seemed normal, although his eyes were just a fraction bit wider as he watched two hysterical two of the group as he got his equipment set up.

Zexion looked mildly annoyed, mainly because Demyx kept on smacking him one on his arm in an attempt to get the slate haired boy to agree with the blond.

"Come on Zex! It was totally _hilarious_!" he spoke in between laughter. Zexion merely rolled his eyes and tried to walk away, but the singer always pulled him back.

Xigbar didn't seem to care as he continued to gently strum his guitar and tune it while humming.

"Ok, ok, ok. Let's get it started." He tossed the ukulele to one side, which landed on the floor with a loud wooden clunk and on a horrible note (Insert a protest from Xigbar here… "Ack! My Ukelele!!!") and re-adjusted the shoulder strap of his guitar. "Any requests?" he smirked at Roxas.

"Err…" he tilted his head a little and looked up at the ceiling with a look of thoughtfulness, he didn't have any particular song in mind.

Then his eyes brightened up at a song that suddenly started playing in his head and he had to force back a smile from the watching red head. 'He probably doesn't know this song.'

"I see that look on your face." Axel smirked. "What song are you thinking of?"

Roxas shook his head although the smile was now evident on his face. "You wouldn't know it." He reasoned.

"Try me." The red head dared as he motioned for the blond to continue on.

"Actually. Maybe you do." He straightened his back when a thought suddenly crossed his mind. "It's from the same band that sang 'Dirty little secret'."

"Ooh? What would that be?" his smirk faltered. He had an idea of what the blond was going to ask and he didn't, more like couldn't, sing it. 'Maybe Demyx can sing it for me…' he thought uselessly.

"Swing, swing?"

The dirty haired blond let out another string of guffaws, eventually falling over on his knees and hitting the floor out of sheer laughter. Zexion raised his visible eyebrow and shifted his footing.

"No fucking way can Axel sing _that_ song." Demyx spoke in between his laughs.

"I can!" the said person protested as he walked over to the laughing blond and gave him a light shove with his foot. "Ok fuck no I can't." he changed his mind with a roll of his eyes. "I have limits, and that note is too high for me to get."

"The singer managed to hit that note." Roxas spoke as he enjoyed watching the red head lose his pride to a band that was no longer popular.

Axel growled and stomped to the back of the room. "Where are the fucking mics…?" he spoke harshly as he rummaged around another metallic suitcase.

"You wanna sing with mics?" Xigbar asked in amazement as he tried to smooth out the ukulele with his hand after retrieving it from its graceful fall.

The red head suddenly stopped looking around the case and stared dead panned at the wall in front of him. 'Good point…' he straightened himself up and walked back to his original spot. "I'll play, but I'm not singing."

Both Roxas and Demyx let out a noise of disappointment but the younger blond changed his mind, "Ok, ok. What about…Fall out boy's new song? The take over…the break's over?"

"That guy can't sing for crap!" Demyx howled as he bolted up from the floor. "Sure, the song sounds good but he mumbles like half of the lyrics!"

"Yeah, yeah. We all know you're a better singer than him." Axel smirked.

"Damn right I am!" the blond rocker spoke proudly as he straightened himself and held his head high. "And, dude! What's with the sideburns?!" he cried out.

Roxas laughed but agreed none the less. "True. I had to look up the lyrics to understand what he was trying to say. But I think maybe Mr. Xaldin have…erm…weirder sideburns that he does." He added sheepishly.

"I've got it!!!" Demyx cried out as he waved his arms around to grab everybody's attention.

"What, what?" Axel asked while Roxas leaned forward just a tad.

The blond rocker motioned for the red head to come closer and he complied. Xigbar and Sai'x drew closer to the middle while the slate haired boy was dragged in. After a few seconds of harsh whispering and snickering (from the blond and red head mainly), they broke the short meeting, took out a keyboard and arranged themselves in a band-like manner.

With a curt nod of the head, Sai'x tapped the drumsticks together in a rhythm and on the fourth beat, him, and Axel started playing together. After a while, Xigbar joined in with the bass and Zexion on the keyboard, Demyx started singing with a smirk on his face,

"She's going out to forget they were together,  
All that time he was taking her for granted.  
She wants to see if there's more,  
Than he gave she's looking for."

"He calls her up,  
He's trippin' on the phone now.  
He doesn't want her out there,  
And alone now.

He knows she's movin' it,  
Knows she's using it,  
Now he's losing it,  
She don't care."

Axel sang a few lines during the chorus, gaining the attention of the young blond who had been watching Demyx throughout the entire first verse.

"Everybody put up your hands,  
Say I don't wanna be in love,  
I don't wanna be in love.  
Feel the beat now,  
If you've got nothing left,  
Say I don't wanna be in love,  
I don't wanna be in love.  
Back it up now,  
You've got a reason to live,  
Say I don't wanna be in love,  
I don't wanna be in love.  
Feelin' good now,  
Don't be afraid to get down,  
Say I don't wanna be in love,  
I don't wanna be in love."

For the duration of the song, Roxas' eyes roamed around the room. Watching as Sai'x played on the drums, seemingly in and out of character. Xigbar looked as though he was having fun playing as he furiously tapped on the ground with his black boots. He was amazed that Zexion knew how to play the keyboard, even though they were mainly chords. Roxas noticed that the slate haired boy's eyes sometime strayed towards the blond singer.

Demyx seem to be putting his heart and soul into every word that he sang out, sometimes adding his own tune to the music and smiling whenever Axel joined in at the chorus. The red head smirked as he played, watching his fingering (Roxas was surprised that Axel still hasn't removed the glove from his right hand.) as he tapped on the floor and sometimes acknowledged Roxas with a nod of the head.

When the song finished, Demyx gave out a whoop of happiness and punched the air before skipping up to Zexion and shaking the be-geezus out of him. "Did you hear that? We were _fucking_ awesome!!!"

Roxas had thought that maybe the slate haired boy would've smiled, but the fact that Demyx was shaking him so much made Zexion scowl instead. He had to brace the other's hand to lessen the quaking. "Yes, I heard, you were great. Can you stop shaking me now?" he spoke in between each shake.

The younger smiled at the scene and vaguely registered the red head approaching him. But he turned his head as soon as he noticed.

"So, how were we?" Axel smirked as he shifted his whole weight to his other foot.

"Hmm." He pretended to think deeply. "You were so-so I guess." He made a motion with his hand.

"So-so?!" he cried out. "Come on. We were _more_ than just _so-so_."

"Ok, ok. You were good. I admit it." He gave in as he grinned at the red head.

"Eh…I guess I'll settle for good." He smirked as he ruffled the blonds' hair in revenge. This time, Roxas couldn't be bothered smacking away the hand, but gave him a light kick to the shin.

"What next?!" Demyx suddenly joined in as he bounced around. "I'm totally hyped up! What can we play next?!" he spoke as he jogged on the spot. "Come on, come on!"

"Calm down man, you look like you're on a sugar high!" Axel laughed as he forced the older blond to stay still by placing his hands on the blonds' shoulder.

"Need a song! Need a song!"

"What about 'Starlight'?" Roxas suggested.

"Who's that by??" Demyx asked excitedly as he came nose to nose with the other blond, almost making him fall off his chair.

"By 'Zed'. I think they broke up though."

"Never heard of them." He replied with a straight face. "Are they good?"

"I've only liked two of their songs."

"Mmhmm, mmhmm. What's the other called?"

"Renegade fighter."

Axel watched in mild interest at the two chattering blonds. It looked as though Demyx was interrogating him with him standing almost nose to nose with the younger blond who was sitting on top of the high chair. The only thing missing was a spotlight.

"Ooh! Sounds _interesting_!" he smacked his fist into his open palm. "I'm gonna download it later when I get home."

"Don't you have an assignment to do?" Zexion suddenly asked.

"Assignment…?" the dirty haired blond looked up at the ceiling in thought. "The art one?"

"Yeah, that one." The slate haired boy gave a curt nod of his head.

"Oh shit!" Axel suddenly cursed. "I forgot about it." He spoke as he crouched down and held his head in his hands.

"No worries, you've still got the weekend to go." Demyx smiled as he patted the red head's back in comfort.

"Yeah, but I don't-" he paused midway and slowly turned his head to Roxas while Demyx stared at the red head with a quizzical look.

The blond was no longer in his seat, but instead rummaging around the box. Xigbar was standing by him and pointing out what was what.

As soon as the idea landed in his head, he quickly bolted up, scaring Demyx in the process, and dashed towards the younger blond.

"Roxas!! I need a favor!!" he cried out, grabbing his shoulders to spin him around.

The said person's head lolled about at the sudden movement and lazily replied, "What is it?"

"I need to sketch a still life picture."

"Ok." Axel almost cried out in happiness at the answer, "Go to the park or something then." The red head smacked his head.

"I need to sketch a still life picture of a _person_." He rephrased.

"Ok then." The red head smiled and nearly gave the blond a crushing hug, "Go ask Demyx then."

If this was a cartoon, gravity would've increased on Axel's shoulder, making him fall to the ground very suddenly.

"I've already drawn him a few times already. I'm starting to become a pro." He offered as he gave the blond a lop-sided grin.

"What about Sai'x or Xigbar?" he suggested, progressively looking more and more worried about the upcoming future.

"Been there, done that." He waved his hand at the comment.

"Zexion?"

"Done."

"Larxene?"

"Doesn't wanna do it for free." His eye twitched slightly. "The bitch…"

"Marluxia…?" he hoped that maybe the red head would get the hint. But it doesn't turn out that way.

"Larxene wouldn't let me." He scowled. "You're out of choices by the way." He noted with a raised eyebrow.

Roxas sighed, "Ok, fine…I'll do it."

"Sweet!!!" he whooped out in delight before pulling up the blond in a tight hug. "Thanks Roxas, you're the best!!"

The blond grumbled out his discomfort at the situation, but thought that maybe, 'It might not be so bad after-all.'

* * *

I'd like to give Dark Firesong credit for giving me the idea of making Roxas drag Axel to church. Thanks man! Even though you suggested it _way_, WAY back in chapter 5. Lol! But then again, it's not actually gonna happen till the next chapter or the chapter after that…so yeah…Lol.

Oh yeah, the song that Axel was singing was a knock-off from the movie 'Flushed Away', it's a funny movie! Go watch it!

Anyways! About them cars…I'm not gonna include a fucking year and whatever. Lol…I spent a good ten minutes trying to find nice looking cars for them to drive so gimme a break eh? Maybe next time when I'm not so tired and in need of ice cream. Lol.

One last thing before I go away, (ahem) my two week holiday is officially over…(starts crying) which means no more spontaneous updates from me!! It's back to three days or so of wait before a new chapter pops up. I'm so sorry!! But good news is! I have seven more weeks of uni left before I have my summer holidays! HOORAH!!! But that's still seven weeks away…Enjoy this double length chapter…I worked my freaking ass off. Lol. Till next time!


	39. Side tracked

Sheesh…I really need to speed this story along eh? Where's the plot?! It's still there, so not to worry! I just have absolutely no idea how to go about it without skipping a day or two…Lol.

But fear not! I've got the perfect solution! I shall try and…(sigh) double the length of the chapter…Because…well, I guess it's time for a change. Lol! Get it? For a change? Lol. I crack myself up…I already did it for the last chapter, so I guess I'll make it permanent eh? Maybe it'll make the story move on a little faster. MAYBE!

**XxRoxasluverxX** – Lol!!! Hilarious! Man, how come I never thought of that? Lol.  
**WGreyB** – Yeah…all good things must come to an end unfortunately. But worry not, at least you have chapters of double length to look forward to. Lol.  
**soraXxXriku** – Yes, that is true, and he doesn't wanna show Roxas what he did.  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Lol, I happen to be the crazy spender of my group of friends. Guilty! Lol. And yes, of course that song is from Good Charlotte!! Come on man, I could've sworn I added that in somewhere…  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Sweet, I'll keep that in mind bro.  
**Veritas4Eternity** – So sorry my dear, but…ah well…I don't wanna make you run away but I MUST be honest…The kiss won't be coming for a long time…  
**Hypothetical.Wonder** – Lol, my two week vacation is over and it's back to uni…(boohoo…)  
**Erinicole12** – Lol, it's Dance Floor Anthem by Good Charlotte. Forgive me for forgetting to add it in the chapter…  
**Shadoom** – Lol, no worries. My voice cracks a little at the high notes too. Lol!!  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Ah, he's not a religious person. On the count on that he swears, has tattoos , and has crazy red hair. Lol. Poor, cute boy.  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Yes! My mission of making you happy if fulfilled!!!! (Screams with glee) But yes. Having a set bed time is good. Don't be like me staying up till 2:30am just to type out a story. Lol.  
**Ranchdressing** – Lol, yes, it's confusing sometimes as to who you should feel sorry for.  
**delayed-reaction** – Yeah man, I'd like to this of him as a little comic relief. Just a little though. Lol.  
**Kiki-sama** – LOL!!! Oh, Axel is SUCH a cheeky fellow!! Hilarious man, seriously. Lol.  
**Boofeh** – Lol, I don't take art, but I don't think it involves being naked. Just being…very still or something like that. Lol. I wouldn't know.  
**Launch shinra** – Yes, yes I love the phrase give and take. Muahaha. And also…(please excuse me, because I've been isolated from social activity) Who's…Freddy Kruger…? Lol…And no, I'm not from Australia. Silly billy.  
**0jadecat0** – Lol!!! You crazy, hyped up person, you. But I hope you get better soon!!  
**SkiHigh** – Aye, aye captain! Lol.

* * *

The room was filled with noises from both the instruments and the people who occupied the small space. A half empty box was now being forced to take up more and more items.

Eventually, whatever was sticking out was shoved down with the cover and with a final heave, it was clicked shut.

"Damn…it's like the box is getting smaller and smaller each time we use it." Axel wiped his forehead as he kicked the metallic container.

"Either that or you guys just keep stuffing more things in." Roxas replied as he rolled his eyes.

"Hey!! We forgot the ukulele!!" Xigbar cried out as he waved the item around.

"Too bad." He raised an eyebrow casually, "I'm not gonna close it again…It's too much work." He reasoned with a shrug.

"You're just lazy." Demyx laughed as he gently placed his guitar into its case.

It was then, the long haired, eye patch wearing guy started playing on the ukulele with an occasional swing on his hips. "Aloha oi, aloha oi…"

Roxas raised an eyebrow and slowly turned his head slightly towards the red head. "I've been meaning to ask…" he spoke in a quiet voice.

"Yeah?" Axel lowered his head just a tad.

"How old is Xigbar?"

"He's our age. Why?" he quirked up an eyebrow at the strange question.

"He's got…grey hair…" he pointed out.

The guy in question suddenly spun around and shouted out, "My hair is NATURAL! Thank you very much!!" he dropped the ukulele and pulled his hair as he cried out, ruining its perfect form. "Ack! My ukulele!!" he quickly picked up the ukulele, gently nursing it. "I'm so sorry…" he sniffed.

"O…k…?" Roxas gave a lop-sided grin as he slowly took a step back. 'He's got an interesting personality.' He thought to himself.

"What now?" Demyx asked as he picked up his guitar case.

"Well…we could always hit the arcade." Axel suggested as he gripped his chin with his fingers.

"Er…I've got an appointment to keep." Xigbar spoke, coming out of his weird mood.

"Appointment?" Roxas asked as he turned his head to the black and grey haired guy.

"He means he's already got plans with Vincent." The red head smirked, ignoring the look of irritation coming from Xigbar.

"Vincent? As in my computer teacher, Vincent?" the blond did a double take.

"Yeah, remember when I first introduced Xigbar that I said that he often goes to the shooting ranges with him?"

"Yeah, but I thought you were just making stuff up." He reasoned.

"I never lie!!!" he cried out, "Ok, maybe sometimes…" he changed his mind as he scratched his cheek. "Ok, maybe a lot of the time…"

"I'm leaving." The black and gray haired guy spoke as he swung his guitar case over his shoulders and picked up the heavy box with little effort before stalking out of the door.

"I too, will take my leave." Sai'x gave a curt nod and followed Xigbar out, carrying the whole drum set in his hands.

"Hey, hey! Don't go leaving us out!" Axel cried out as he picked up his own guitar and dragged the younger blond out of the room with him with much protest, "I can walk by myself thanks!"

With a sigh, Demyx turned around to the slate haired boy and smiled. "So, shall we go?" he tilted his head to the side.

"Where to?" Zexion asked as he swung his guitar case over his shoulder and picked up a rectangular bag by the handle.

"Anywhere is good." He replied as the slate haired boy walked closer.

"I'll go wherever you wanna go." He spoke as he raised his free hand and gently pulled the blond forward by the neck before nuzzling into it.

"Hmm…Sounds tempting…" he smiled as he kissed the other.

Meanwhile, on the way to their vehicles, the red head was trying to get Xigbar to allow them to watch him in the shooting ranges with very little results.

"It's not gonna be fun." Xigbar reasoned.

"Come on, we'll just watch! We won't even make a sound!"

"I don't really wanna watch…" Roxas mumbled out.

Xigbar seemed to have heard and stopped mid-step. He turned around and glared at the blond. "Why? You think you're too good to watch?" he asked fiercely.

"Huh? No, I didn't say that." He held up his hands in defense.

"No, but you were _thinking_ it! I see it in your eyes!!" he growled out, his eye twitching menacingly.

"Ok Xigbar, stop scaring him." Axel butted in, to Roxas' relief.

"Fine! You can watch! But if you say _anything_ to _anyone_! I will shoot you with my machine gun…" he turned heel and stalked towards his white van.

Roxas silently let out a shaky sigh of relief, happy that he was still alive and vaguely registering the nearby white van. He would've asked himself, 'Why didn't I see that there before?' but the main question right now was, 'He has a machine gun…?'

"Don't worry about him, you'll get use to it." Axel reasoned with a smirk as he went to his own vehicle, taking out his keys and pushing the button. The car voiced its presence and unlocked the doors.

Once the blond got in the car and closed the door, the red head place his guitar in the boot, closed the trunk and got in the car soon after. Xigbar was already in his white van and ready to go, honking at them to hurry up.

As Axel started the engine, a silver car whizzed passed, catching the eye of a certain blond. "Woah, does Sai'x drive that?!" he asked as he opened the door to get a better view.

"Yup, a Honda Accord Euro R…" he replied sullenly as he pulled his own car into gear and signaled for Xigbar to lead the way. 'Maybe I should've bought that car instead…'

"Nice…" he practically drooled as he closed the door when the red head's car started to move.

Axel furrowed his eyebrows and suppressed a growl as he followed the white van out of the secluded area onto a bustling motorway.

"Does Xigbar er…hang out with Vincent weekly?"

Snapping out of his (jealousy driven?) rage, he raised both of his eyebrows and opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"Axel?" Roxas seemed a little perplex by the weird response he was getting.

The red head suddenly re-animated himself and replied, "Well, not really. It's not like they planned it or anything. They just share the same hobby, go to the same place at the same time on the same day." He nodded his head as he spoke.

"I see." It didn't convince him. "Pretty weird if you ask me."

"It's not like teachers don't have a life outside of school, as hard as it seems to be sometimes."

"I never said that." He furrowed his eyebrows just a little.

"Yeah I know, but I bet you were thinking it." He smirked as he glanced at the blond.

"What's with people reading my mind today…" he mumbled out as he folded his arms.

"Your eyes are too expressive." He chuckled as he shifted to the next gear up. "They _did_ say that eyes are the windows to the soul…or something like that." He gave a look of uncertainty.

Roxas laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, something like that."

They followed Xigbar for a further ten minutes before they pulled a stop before a place called, 'Magic Bullet Shooting Range'. Both Roxas and Axel raised their eyebrows at the 'interesting' name.

'Who's the drunk that named this place?' The red head thought to himself as he slowly got out of the car.

'…' his mind was a blank and he has yet to unbuckle his seatbelt.

"Oi!" Xigbar was already outside the door and tapping his shoe furiously on the concrete as he waited for the two to snap out of it and get in the building. "Hurry your asses up!"

Fumbling with his seatbelt, he finally got it off and tripped over when he got out of the car. Axel laughed and pointed at him while Roxas glared daggers at the red head. As payback, he slammed the door shut and stomped off.

"Hey! No need to slam the door!!" he cried out as he pushed the button for the car alarm and jogged after the blond.

They (minus Xigbar) entered with much anticipation. Roxas was shaking with adrenalin and Axel was looking around with unusually wide eyes.

"Hey." The black and grey haired guy waved to a man behind the counter and walked on.

"Hmm." the man with a bald head and a ponytail nodded but kept his eyes glued to a sports car magazine, looking at the latest models and the classics.

As they walked past the counter, the man behind it looked up and cleared his throat.

"Er…" The blond looked like a deer caught in the bright light.

"They're with me. Just watching that's all." Xigbar spoke as he held onto a door handle that led to a different room.

He grunted but eyed them a little more closely. Axel noticed the blond shaking just a bit more under the man's scrutiny. After a few more seconds, the man grunted and sat back.

"Ya coming or what?" Xigbar barked as he turned the handle and walked into what seemed like a locker room.

As soon as Roxas stepped in, he noticed a smell he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. Axel noticed it as well and was sniffing the air like a curious dog. 'Maybe a mix of gunpowder, sweat and metal…'

They passed a row of lockers, taking a turn to the left and walking down another line of lockers before the eye patch wearing guy stopped in front of one with the roman numerals 'II' on it. The locker had dents amongst dents on it and the blond had wondered if it had been vandalized and hacked into before until Xigbar proved it was nothing.

Giving it a punch, a knock and then a rough elbow, the locker popped open with a creak. The corner of the blonds' lip twitched upwards in a sort of lop-sided smile.

Xigbar took off his leather jacket, revealing a toned chest beneath a black shirt. "You know," Roxas almost flinched at the voice. "You guys can still leave. It's not gonna be that interesting." He spoke as he regarded them through his only visible eye while taking out a hanger and putting his coat on it.

"Nah," Axel shook his head, "I'm interested to see what you do on your Friday's after school." He smirked as he shifted his weight to one foot.

"Sure, whatever floats your boat." He shrugged as he took out a sleeveless vest and donned it.

"Bullet proof vest?" Roxas asked as he numbly pointed at it while Xigbar pulled out a pair of black gloves with the fingertips cut off and pulled it on.

"Of course." he raised his visible eyebrow and with a swift motion, zipped up the vest before turning back to his locker and taking out a pair of headsets. "Ear-muffs." He smirked, "To protect my hearing."

The blond let out a nervous laugh as the black and grey haired man (he seemed to have matured a lot more after putting on what looked like a policeman's uniform) took out a small metallic suitcase.

He slammed the door shut and walked towards a white door that had black fingerprints around the area of the door handle. Close to the door was a table of headsets and gloves with a sign above it saying, 'Return after use or face charges.'

"Take one if you wanna live to hear tomorrow." Xigbar smirked as he put on his own.

The blonds' eye widened and he quickly picked one up and put it on while Axel casually asked, "Can I use my earphones?"

"They're not good enough." He shook his head. "Have you ever heard a gunshot? They're loud…Like a spontaneous burst of sound."

Scowling just a little bit, he shrugged it off and took one. "Pfft."

"Ready?" he asked as he twisted the handle just a little bit with a smirk on his face. Roxas gulped, shaking slightly in anticipation and adrenaline. Axel seemed to have regained his casual self once again and isn't as wide-eyed as he was five minutes ago.

But as soon as Xigbar opened the door, their ears were filled with gunshots it echoed from the walls and bounced off the metal locker doors. The blond looked as if he was about to stop, drop and roll out of the building back into the car while Axel jumped a little bit.

'Fucking hell…He wasn't joking when he said it's like a spontaneous burst of sound…' he tapped the side of the earphone and looked at the blond who had both hands covering the headset that covered his ears.

Xigbar's smirk grew even more sinister and menacing once he heard the familiar noises of the gunshots. As though they reminded him of home or something nostalgic. He ignored the two tag-alongs and walked towards a free booth.

"R for reload." He purred as he pulled out silver handgun with a black handle. He popped out the cartridge and examined how many bullets were left from his last session. '9 left…' he slipped it back in and pulled back the hammer and took aim.

Roxas watched with fascination at the man with the eye patch who turned from a 'pirate'-wannabe to a gunner. He noticed a small but obvious movement from his leg and saw a foot pedal. Once pushed, a paper target resembling a man appeared from behind a metallic switchboard.

Once the target came out, Xigbar pulled back the trigger again, and again and again. The blond had blinked (or very nearly closed his eyes) every time.

He lowered his hand gun and pushed the foot pedal the whole way down, making the paper target come towards him. As it came closer, the blond noticed that the bullets made three holes of the same size but not too far from each other. And that they were aimed at the heart. A gulp was emitted from the blond.

Xigbar frowned slightly at the results as he gently placed down his gun, unhooked the target and held it in his hands.

"You're still a little ways off…"

Roxas jumped at the new comer while the black and grey haired man remained still as though it was expected.

"Clever little sneak..." He smirked as he dumped the paper away and pushed down the foot pedal, making the small hook retreat and disappear behind the switchboard. "Been here long?" he asked casually as he picked up his hand gun again.

"I've just arrived." The maroon haired man spoke as he regarded the others. "Roxas…I expect you must be doing well on your assignment to be here…"

"Yes sir." He replied quickly as he tried to re-adjust the ear phones. Unsure if he should take it off out of courtesy or keep it on for his hearing's sake.

"Good…I expect proficient work from you. After-all, you _are_ the top scorer in my class." He spoke with a slow nod of the head, Roxas had never felt more respect towards his computer teacher now than he did before. The man soon shifted his eyes to the lanky red head who stood by the blond. He blinked his yellow eyes in acknowledgment before turning back to the shooter of the group. "Warming up?" he asked as he turned to occupy the booth next to Xigbar.

"Of course." He smirked as he clicked his tongue.

Roxas noticed that another paper target was out and ready to be used. (Or shot at.) As Vincent got himself ready, Xigbar took it as an opportunity to get in another practice round to better his aim. Once the paper was retrieved, Vincent made another comment while Xigbar threw in his own two cents.

"Che." He scoffed as he threw away the piece of paper and pushed the pedal down for another. "I'm just warming up. It's not competition time yet."

"The score is 5 to 3 on my favor…You think you can win this time?" the tall maroon haired man asked as he took a stance and pushed the pedal for his own target to appear. Once it came out, he fired three shots and pressed the floor switch to recover the paper target.

'Did that gun come out from his cloak?!' the blond cried out in his head as he kept his eyes glued to the (gold?) gun.

Roxas, getting use to the sound of gunshots being fired, didn't blink as much as he used to while the two gunners practiced their aim.

"If you compare mine with yours, you're off by a few millimeters…" he commented as he picked up a random target and held them up side by side.

"Pssh…" Xigbar scoffed one more time and went back to his own booth. "Lemme get in one more practice shot before we start the competition alright? Then we'll see who's the best."

"You won't win with that attitude." He spoke coolly as he popped out the cartridge, reloaded the magazine to the max before slipping it back in with a click.

"Hmph." He took his stance, aimed and fired three simultaneous shots. He pressed down the pedal and impatiently waited for the target to come closer. "That good enough for ya?" he asked as he pulled off the paper from the hook and gave it to the older man.

"Not quite, you should aim and shoot here." He took his own gun and shot it at the paper, scaring the crap out of Roxas and making Axel jump out of his skin.

A few seconds later, a hole not a centimeter away was being poked fun at by an eye patch wearing man. "What the fu-It's only that far off!" he held up a thump and the index finger with only a small space between them. "You're just being a bitch now." He complained.

"Practice makes perfect and besides…a little goes a long way. Especially between life and death." Vincent spoke as he kicked his own pedal for new paper.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. He who speaks as though he is possessed by a wise yet feral red eyed demon." He went over to his metal suitcase and popped out the now empty magazine, dropping it in the case and picking up a new one before slipping it back in. "Ready to start?"

"Same bet? Or something different."

Roxas perked up his covered up ears at the mention of bets. 'What do they bet on?'

"I'm feeling lucky. So let's double it instead." He smirked as he pressed down the pedal and posed with his free hand on his waist.

"Impudence will be your downfall." Vincent replied as he waited for Xigbar's target to appear.

He scoffed, "As if _you're_ not?" he took aim and waited.

Everything seem to quiet down, as though the whole world wanted to see the results of the competition. 'What was the bet?' the blond thought to himself as he watched in anticipation, his body shaking a little more vigorously as he watched the two.

With a quick glance to each other, they both fired simultaneously three times.

Smoke filtered from their guns and Xigbar blew it away with a smirk on his face. "Hah, yup. I'm feeling lucky." He grinned menacingly as he pushed the pedal to make the paper target come closer. "_Very_ lucky." His smirk widened as he regarded the maroon haired man not too far away, not bothering to look at the results as it drew nearer.

"And why is that?" he inquired casually as he gently tapped the switch with the tip of his pointed shoe.

"Because I have supporters, that's what." He nudged his gun in the direction of the red head and the short blond.

(Insert a gust of wind that came from no where…) "Supporters…" the maroon haired man repeated as to make sure he heard right.

'Supporters…?' Roxas thought to himself.

'Huh…' Axel scoffed in his head, 'This is mildly comical.'

"Yeah, supporters. Never figured you to be deaf Vinny." He shook his head as he placed his gun back into its resting place in the metal suitcase.

Although it was barely noticeable, his eye twitched ever so slightly. "Say that name again and it will be your death." He pulled back the hammer, making it click in assurance.

"Just get the damn papers and look at it." Xigbar scowled, 'He never did have a sense of humor either…'

"Hmph…so you won." Vincent spoke as he discarded the target in a nearby recycling bin with a label saying, 'Recycle paper, save trees.' Quite ironic, considering they were at a shooting range…Where you shoot people. (Insert sweat drop here…)

"See!!" the black and grey haired man cried out, "I told you I was lucky today!! Vincent you have met your match."

"You're still losing 5 to 4…" the said man spoke as he packed up his gear and waited for the other to stop gloating.

"But I _won_!" he repeated, just to rub it in.

"What did you win?" the blond asked, gaining three pairs of eyes on him. He recoiled slightly but was excited to find out the prize.

"Two magazines." Xigbar smirked, closing the suitcase and making the locks click into place.

"Magazines?" the prize caught him off guard. 'Magazines?!'

"Not the ones you're thinking of Roxy." The red head beside him smirked.

Shaking his head in disbelief, "This," Xigbar unlocked the suitcase and took out his gun, slipping out a small, rectangular holder. "Is a magazine."

"Oh. Ok." He replied, barely masking the disappointment in his voice. 'I expected something better than a 'magazine'…' he thought to himself as he watched the black and grey haired man push the item back into place.

"Alright, let's hit the road." Xigbar spoke as he closed the metal case and walked out with a victorious smirk on his face. Walking over to his locker and kicking, punching it open while Roxas and Axel returned the headsets back to their original place.

'I wonder how many people wear those.' Axel thought uncomfortably as he grimaced slightly. 'And I've been wearing it for…' he checked his watch and widened his eyes in disbelief. 'A fucking half hour?!' he started rubbing his ears in hopes to disinfect it.

In less than one minute, Xigbar was back in his leather jacket, hands glove free, earphones and suitcase stuffed back into the locker. "Time to claim my prize." He cracked the joints in his hands and fingers as he walked towards the exit door, the smirk widening as he grew closer.

If Vincent wasn't such a mystery, he would've rolled his eyes.

The black and grey haired man opened the door with much gusto and he bounded up to the front desk, relaxing one arm on it. "Yo, get me two," he held up two fingers, "Standard-capacity magazines."

The man raised his eyebrows, "And how will you be paying?"

"Oh, I ain't paying. _He_ is." He pointed towards Vincent who nodded his head.

"Vincent lost?" he got up from his seat in disbelief. "You're losing your touch."

"Audaciousness was my downfall." He glanced the other way.

"On a roll? You won last week as well. How many times it that?" He spoke as he went over to the back room, took out a bunch of keys from his pocket and unlocked a large padlock and chains from a cupboard door.

"5 to 4. Vincent in the lead, but not for long." He cackled delightfully as he watched the man with the ponytail tug open a metal cabinet and took out two identical black magazines.

"Should I stick this to your tab?" he regarded the maroon haired man as he held up the two items.

"Yes please." He gave a nod of the head and exited the building. "See you next week David."

"Hey! How come _I_ don't get a tab?!" Xigbar cried out as his head zoomed back and forth looking at David and Vincent who was now left the building.

"Because I don't know ya long enough. Now here ya go and I'll see you again next week Xigbar." He shoved the two items towards Xigbar.

"Hey, come now, we've known each other for a grand total of two and a half months." He chuckled as he took the magazines and fiddled around with them.

"And I've known Vincent for a few years now. He's a reliable client."

"And me? What am I to you?"

"I have yet to decide." He went back to the door, pulled the chains back on and locked it. "Stick around for another year or so and then we'll see."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be sticking around." Xigbar scoffed and walked towards the locker room. "Oh," he turned back and regarded the blond and red head. "I'm going back straight home after this…so…shoo." He made a motion with his hand and disappeared behind the door.

"What the fu…Did he just diss us?!" Axel cried out after a few seconds of silence. "Psssh. I don't need him! Let's go Roxas." He walked out of the door into the car park area, but not before shouting out, "See you on Monday!" and received a, "Got cha!" in return.

Once the got in the car, Axel left the keys in ignition. "So…where to?" he asked the blond.

"Hm…" he looked down at his shoes in thought. 'Got nothing planned…I'm not hungry…but is Axel?' he thought to himself as he furrowed his eyebrows a little. "Are you hungry?" he asked as he turned his head to the red head beside him.

"Ehh." He slouched forward slightly. "Hmm." He leaned back and gripped his chin. "Err…" he tapped his lips once, twice then finally replied, "No."

"Well, _I_ can't think of anything."

"But I can!" he turned the keys and the engines roared to life.

No sooner did Roxas quickly buckle on his seatbelt did Axel bring his foot down on the accelerator and they whizzed out of the car park and back on the main road with the blond shouting out in terror while holding onto the armrest and the glove compartment for dear life. "WATCH THE SPEED!!!"

"Still going fifty!!" he laughed as he maneuvered through the traffic like a drunken idiot.

* * *

I'm sorry if you thought that Xigbar was out of character but yeah…Lol? Is he a boy or a man? Man makes him sound too old, boy, too young. I'll settle for guy instead. Lol. Also, sorry for the random inserts…seriously weirdish mood when I wrote this. Lol. But hey! Good comic relief yeah? Yeah? Yeah?!

Sigh, I was still having a small (pssh, small my ass…I restarted this chapter like three thousand times!) case of writer's block for this chapter. It's too long to my liking, but yeah, the story's gotta move on, so I got's to do what I got's to do!

Anyways, back to the topic of cars, imagine them driving the latest/most recently introduced cars ok? OK?! And about guns…DON'T USE THEM! I merely wanted Xigbar to be…somewhat in character, so I took the liberty of…'studying' guns…I feel…Like Xigbar now…R FOR RELOAD!! YEAH BABY! If ya don't get it, maybe you should google it…Or wiki it up…Lol.


	40. Bamboozled

CHAPTER 40?! OH CRAP!! I don't even know if it's a good thing or a bad thing. Lol… Good thing is, it lasted this far. Yay! Bad thing is, it's never ending!? Boo!

Dude…(Sighs) I should change the genre, there's not even a hint of romance going around…But there will be, in about…ten or so chapters. Lol.

**WGreyB **– Thank you, thank you! It means a lot coming from you. I've always liked Vincent, but ever since Xigbar has been introduced, I felt an equal amount of respect for him as well. Lol!  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Lol, your brother and dad owns a gun? How scary…Have you tried using one? Not that I'm encouraging or anything. Lol…Poor puppies.  
**Ranchdressing** – (snort) Really? Lemme record that just to make sure. Lol.  
**pride1289** – Lol, you can do it!!! Just put your mind to it. Lol  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Lol, I especially like the term 'wiki it up' Lol, hilarious.  
**Shadoom** – I can even see him shaking his hips with the music. Lol.  
**Conductor of Darkness** – Lol, glad you feel that way, and more will come. Eventually.  
**soraXxXriku** – Lol, thank you. I went around asking my friends about cars and they all gave me weird looks. I used wikipedia to find out more about guns and I was looking at which one would fit Xigbar the best. Lol.  
**delayed-reaction** – Aww, you can't see Xigbar shaking his hips with the ukulele?? I am very sad and troubled…Oh wells…(sniffs)

This chapter is wholly dedicated to **WGreyB** who must've gone through a lot of trouble to make a music video for this story. There aren't many people who would actually make a music video for me but because of that, I feel extremely touched and (starts crying) honored! This is for you!!!!

* * *

The sound of pencil on paper filled the room with the occasional silence before the sound returned once more. Tension was high in the air as well as anxiety and frustration. Finally a grunt was heard and then a flip to a new untainted page.

The blond, who was sitting on the bed groaned in misery. "Axel, that's the fifth time you've restarted." He buried his head in his hands.

"I can't help it, you keep on changing your features." He furrowed his eyebrows in aggravation as he tapped on the sketch book. "You gotta be neutral, you gotta chill."

"I can't 'chill'," he quoted, "When you're trying to draw a picture of me. It's nerve wrecking." He flopped on the bed with a grumble.

Axel sighed, closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, 'Not even Demyx was this nervous. But then again, he _did_ have his guitar with him.' He thought to himself before it clicked. "Yo Roxas."

"Yeah…?" he replied tiredly.

"You see that bookcase over there?" he pointed to the said item with the pencil.

Roxas raised his head enough to look at whatever Axel was talking about, "Yeah?"

"Pick a book, any book, and read it." He smirked as he spun on the swivel chair.

The blond slowly sat back up on the bed and stared back and forth the bookshelf and the red head. "Why?"

He stopped spinning and held up a finger, "One, it'll relax you. And two," he held up two fingers and smirked, "Pictures are best drawn when they're natural."

Kind of understanding where Axel was getting at, he shifted off the bed and walked towards the bookshelf. He had to admit though, the red head had quite a book collection. There was a range of fairy-tale books, English literature, Shakespeare, different editions of dictionaries and thesauruses, books from famous and well known authors, even various comic books and the occasional cook book. Blue eyes searching the spines of the books, scanning the titles, the authors and the publishers before one caught his eye.

It was a very thick book, but it wasn't very thin either. 'A Nobody's Existence.' By 'The Darkness Within'. Roxas couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the title and author written in silver ink on the black spine. He pulled it out carefully and turned to the back of the hard cover book. It was a plain dark red book with no pictures illustrated on it and he wondered who wrote this 'Darkness Within' was. Ignoring the question, he started reading the blurb, unaware that he was being watched very carefully.

'Life is spiraling,  
Down into the deep unknown,  
Where there isn't a glimmer of hope...  
Not a piece of reassurance...'

There was a glitch somewhere in his heart, it started to twinge in an unfamiliar emotion. 'It feels…' he slowly raised his head to the bookcase in front of him, eyes unfocused. He turned around with the book still in his hands and opened his mouth to speak, but the red head cried out in frustration.

"Aw dammit! It was going so good too!!" he smacked his forehead, not bothering to rescue the falling sketch book.

Roxas remained fixed on the spot, still holding up the book as he watched the sketch book fall to the floor, landing with a soft thump with the half completed picture facing him.

On the page was a rough but detailed sketch of him looking down at the book he held and he started to wonder how long he had been standing there for. "Sorry, I didn't know-"

"Nah, it's alright," he cut in. "I didn't tell you but then again, it was so perfect!!" he buried his head in his hands.

The blond walked towards the red head and bent over to pick up the dropped item. He stared at it with wide eyes, startled at the details as he gently touched the image as though it might smudge at the slightest pressure. He was rendered speechless at the picture.

Axel glanced up at the blond before him and noticed the little sparkle in his blue eyes. His eyes soften as he watched the blond stare at the picture with such interest he had never received before. 'Maybe Demyx, but he's a broken record that just keeps on going wow, wow, wow…' he thought to himself.

This was different, it was the look in Roxas' eyes that held a different meaning. A different kind of admiration. It wasn't the kind that would continuously applaud your efforts, but the kind that would enjoy it without the use of words. And for that, Axel felt deeply touched.

"You like it?" he spoke suddenly, pulling the blond out of his daze.

"Like it? I think it's great!" he spoke as he returned his gaze to the picture. "I've never seen anybody draw like this before. I mean, I've seen your other works but--ugh." He smacked his forehead, at a loss for words.

The red head chuckled at the blond. "I'll take that as a compliment." He outstretched his hand and gently took away the book from him. "Take a seat and let's start again."

"What? Why? Isn't that pretty good?"

"Sure is." He smiled at his latest work. "But, since you're here and an excellent model." Roxas blushed furiously. "Not to mention a natural." He smirked as he watched the blonds' blush increased ten fold. "I'd like to draw you again."

Roxas looked like a ripe tomato as he shifted from foot to foot. "Erm…"

"You don't mind do you?" he asked again, he didn't want to push the blond into doing something he didn't want to do, but at the same time, he wished that the blond wouldn't mind.

With his free hand, he scratched the back of his head. "Well, I've got time." He smiled awkwardly, unable to make the redness in his face go away as he sat down on the bed.

"Sweet. I've read that book before. Really speaks out to me, ya know?" he waved his hand around. "Tell me what you think about it." He smiled as he turned to a new page.

"Oh, ok." He nodded his head and opened the cover of the book. 'The dedication to this book is divided in two ways, to my one and only friend who's helped me thus far, and to all the people who are lost to the darkness…' he felt a lump get stuck in his throat and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

He flipped to the next page, and on it, was a short poem.

'A Nobody has no purpose in life,  
That's why they continuously search for a meaning.  
A meaning to their meaningless existence,  
To their meaningless life.  
A Nobody was born from Darkness,  
And will one day, fade back into Darkness.

By Anonymous.

Roxas re-read the poem twice more, and the more he read it, the more he felt something in his heart call out to him. As though he had experienced it before. Maybe in a past life? 'Nah…There's no such thing as reincarnation.'

As Roxas turned over to the next page and started to read the book, Axel glanced back and forth from the sketch he was drawing and the blond who seemed to be very absorbed in his readings.

He started with the basics and from that, he added more detail and pencil shadings. He had to admit though, Roxas' hair was a bit of a challenge. But the best part, was his eyes.

His blue eyes so expressive, like an open book. So emotional, meaningful and vivid. Like the colors of the rainbow.

You don't just see one color, you see all of them. Just like his emotions. There isn't just one, but a mixture of two, sometimes even three.

When he was done, he was surprised with himself. Never was he so captivated into drawing a subject before. But there was just something about Roxas that made him feel…like he had been missing the best part of his life.

Quietly, he flipped to a new page and waited for the blond to change his position. And when he did, he got started immediately.

It was a good two hours by the time Roxas had finished the book. He felt like he was a different person after reading it. Like he found a deeper meaning in life.

'So this is why Axel's the way he is. Living life like there's no tomorrow.' He smiled gently as he touched the silver words engraved on the back cover. 'Maybe I should start too…' he thought to himself as he slowly raised his head to stare at the window half-concealed by blinds.

Shaking his head to get him out of the clouds, he turned to where the red head was. "Hey Axel…" only to find that he was not there. "Axel?"

"Yo." A cup was shoved right under the blonds' nose.

"What is it?" he gingerly reached up to take the cup.

"Watch out, it's hot." He smirked. "And to answer your question, it's tea with a lemon twist and two teaspoons of sugar." When he was sure the blond had a firm grip on the handle, he released it and took a sip from his own.

"Smells nice." He spoke after taking a small whiff of it. "You used one of those flavored tea bags?"

"Nah, it's my own special blend." He took a seat on the swivel chair as the blond raised an eyebrow at the red head.

"Really…" he asked incredulously.

"Yup, it ain't that hard to make. Just grab a tea bag, add a couple of lemon zest in it, that's the stuff at the bottom," he pointed out to the blond, "along with some lemon juice and maybe if you want, some orange peel."

"Ah huh…" he noticed the little things lying at the bottom of the cup and carefully took a sip. "Mmm. It's good." He commented as he took another sip.

"Of course it's good! I made it." He puffed out his chest in pride.

Roxas snorted at the comment and looked away, observing the room as he drank the warm tea and taking note of the closed sketch book on top of the table. "Can I see?" he asked as he pointed to the object.

"Sure." He shrugged as he blew into the cup and swung his arm over the back rest of the chair.

The blond cautiously placed the cup on the table and picked up the sketchbook, flipping to the first page to find a picture of somebody he's never seen before. 'Who's this?' he asked himself.

"Who's who?" the red head leaned over the blonds' shoulder to see. "Oh, er.. that's…ah…" he sputtered as he moved away, hiding the light blush forming on his cheeks. "Just a guy I use to know."

"Pfft, your ex-boyfriend you mean."

Roxas cracked his head after turning around to fast to see the new comer.

"Get lost Reno." Axel scowled at the red head with the ponytail.

"That's no way to treat your older brother, Axel." He smirked as he leaned on the door frame.

"Older…brother…?" the blond spoke out, still holding onto the sketchbook as he stared between one red head and the other.

"Yeah, I'm Reno. The brother Axel wished he never had." His smirk widened as he entered the room and walked closer to Roxas. "Hmm…And _you_ must be Roxas. The boy who Axel's being going on and on about these past couple of days." He spoke as he analyzed the short blond before turning around to face his brother. "Moving along so fast? Lil bro." he added with a smirk.

"You're one to talk, after what you did to, what's his name? Oh yeah, Rufus." He spoke in spite.

Reno glared at his brother before relaxing back into a smirk and shrugged. "I guess we both have a knack for bringing up the past eh brother?"

"Don't lump me in with your habits."

"Hmph." He smirked as he shook his head before walking away, brushing past Axel's shoulder as he did so. "Love to stay and chat, but I've got things to do, places to go." He stopped at the door and turned his head to the blond. "Nice meeting you, Roxas." He winked and disappeared.

Axel quickly moved towards the door and slammed it shut, the room echoing and the tea quivering in their cups.

"What was that about?" The blond asked as he loosened the grip on the book he didn't know he was making.

"Nothing." He growled out as he thumped his head gently on the door.

Although not convinced, he decided not to push it. Choosing to stay silent and still as he waited for the red head calm down.

Taking in a deep breath and sighing, his features finally relaxed into one of regret. "You know…"

Roxas' ears perked up at Axel's starting words.

"We didn't use to be like this. I mean…" he sighed again. "We use to laugh a lot together, hang out, and do all those brotherly stuffs."

He nodded in understanding and waited for the red head to continue.

"And then it all went downhill when we started to like the same person." He chuckled mirthlessly. "We started to fight and bitch about everything. After that, we just stopped being brothers and started becoming rivals and shit like that." He thumped his head on the door again. Eyes glimmering in remorse and guilt.

The blond lowered his eyes to the floor, unable to find words to console the red head. Nothing to say to help him feel better. The usual 'I'm sorry' just doesn't cut it.

"I kind of want to turn back time and everything you know? I just wanna make up with him, but we're both stubborn and we don't know how to say sorry and shit." He smiled miserably as he turned to face the blond.

"You said sorry to me." He spoke as he lifted his head slightly and glanced at the red head.

He chuckled again, "It's not the same…I wish it was, but it's just not the same…" he shook his head and walked towards his bed, falling over on it and sighing into his pillow. "And you know what the worst part was?"

Half of him didn't want to pry, but the other half was curious to find out. But he remained silent and waited for Axel to either skip it or reply.

"The worst part was that the person we both liked didn't want to be involved, didn't want to be the cause for our rivalry. Didn't want to be fought over like some trophy." He mumbled into the pillow. Roxas having to strain his ears to hear properly. "I kind of got it, and in a way, I thought that it just wasn't worth it anymore. So, I guess I kind of gave up. But Reno…" he felt a weight pressed down on the side of the bed. "He blamed it on me, saying he lost his chance because he was too busy fighting with me. Che…bullshit." With a quick motion he flipped on his back and laid down, glaring up at the ceiling.

"I found out that the person we both liked was already dating someone else, just pretty much used us for entertainment. But Reno wouldn't listen to me. Wouldn't give me shit." He shifted his eyes to the blond who sat by him although wasn't looking at him. "Hey Roxas."

"Yeah?" he turned his head to look at Axel.

"Don't ever fight with your brother over somebody ok? It's just not worth it."

Roxas nodded his head in a silent promise and saw the regret built up over a long period of time in the red head's eyes.

With a heave, he sat up on the bed and ran his fingers through his spiky hair. "Man, I just blurted out my sorrows to a kid. What has the world come to." He laughed as he shifted off the bed, ignoring the pout coming from the blond as he reached for his cup of tea. "Damn, it got cold."

Axel noticed a flash of something from the corner of his eye and he turned his head to find out what it was. At the bottom of his door, was a piece of paper.

Curiosity getting the better of him, he gently placed down the cup of cold tea and walked over to the item. He stared at it for a full ten seconds before bending over and picking it up.

He opened it and the words 'I'm sorry too, jackass.' was imprinted in black, messy handwriting. He smirked and heard the front door open. Jerking his own door to open, he shouted out, "Say that to my face bitch!!"

"Never!!!" his brother cried out dramatically before slamming the door shut and running out of the apartment complex.

He shook his head and looked back down at the piece of paper in his hands. "I guess we just made up." He chuckled as he walked over his work desk, pulled open a drawer and placed the piece of paper inside. "I should laminate it for good measure." He picked up his cup of tea and gulped down the whole drink. "Ok, now that's over and done with, let's get some grub. I'm hungry!" he smiled as he walked out of his room.

Feeling happy for Axel, he too finished his whole drink and followed the red head out, but not before taking a glimpse at the picture and to the next page.

He heard a jingle of keys and assumed that the red head was getting ready to leave. "Yo Roxas, you coming or what?" he shouted from the living room area as the blond flipped to the next page, taking in the details of the 'ex-boyfriend' and taking a memory photo of it.

"Yeah! Gimme a sec." he turned to the next page and noticed that it was a picture of Demyx playing on the guitar.

"Roxas!" he shouted out, making the blond jump in his spot. Roxas turned around to see the red head by the door frame. "Take the sketch book if you wanna look at it." He smirked as he watched the blonds' cheek go into a light tinge of pink.

With an irritated pout, the blond shoved past the smirking red head and into the kitchen area, putting the cup into the sink and slipping on his shoes before heading out of the door towards the car park.

"Hey! No need to get angry!" he laughed as he quickly followed after Roxas, making sure to lock the doors first.

* * *

"Looks like we've got a record here. Third visit in a week!" a familiar voice sounded at their entrance to a familiar place. "Welcome to Kupo Kafe, your usual seats?" Rikku smiled happily as she bounced towards them.

"Yup."

"Talk about business." She laughed as she motioned for them to follow her. "Keep it up and we'll upgrade ourselves to have a two storey café instead of one."

"Pssh, don't over-exaggerate." He rolled his eyes as he sat down and took the menu that was offered to him.

"Here ya go Roxas." She handed one over to the blond and pointed towards the special's board. "You know the drill, and I'll be back in a jiffy to take your orders."

Once Rikku went off to another table, Roxas quirked up an eyebrow. "Wow, she remembered my name."

"That's because you're with me."

"Yeah right." He snorted as he opened the booklet and scanned the items.

"It's true!! I mean, come on. You wouldn't have known about this place if it weren't for me."

"Yes, yes. I suppose I owe it all to you don't I?" he smirked as he looked at the red head over the menu.

"Damn right, you do!" he slammed the book down and waved around for Rikku's attention. "And I'm ready to order!"

"Wait, wait! I'm not ready yet!"

"Well hurry up and choose." He laughed as the bouncy girl approached.

"Don't pressure me." He scowled and hastily looked over the food items. 'Cheese melt sounds good, but so does the nachos and burrito. Spring rolls?'

"Hey ho! I mean, kupo! Ready to order?" Rikku corrected herself as he whipped out her pen and pad.

"Yeah, I'll have the-" his phone started ringing and he almost jumped out of his seat. "The BLT and a coke please. Your turn." He smirked as he pointed to the blond and took out his phone before answering it. "Yo, hit me." He leaned back on the seat casually.

"Err…can I have the um…cheese melt?"

"Sure can do, any drinks with that?" she asked as she scribbled down the orders.

"What? Seriously." He took on a stern look as he leaned forward. "Don't joke around like that Demyx."

"Er…" Roxas stared at the red head, wondering if there was anything wrong, unsure if he should continue placing his order.

"Alright, I got it. I'll be there soon." He hung up and quickly stood up. "Ok, cancel our orders Rikku, I just got a call from Demyx and he's in trouble."

"Huh?! Trouble? What kind of trouble?!" he widened his eyes in worry as he followed the red head out.

"I don't know! Hurry up!" he started to bolt for the door but not without leaving a five dollar tip. "Sorry for your troubles Rikku!"

"It's alright! Be safe!!" she cried out after the two boys.

"Bye!" Roxas waved back and ran out of the door. "Wait, why do I have to go with you?" he almost tripped on the stairs as he ran after the red head.

"Because there's not enough time! I can't just leave you here and I can't drop you off home either! Now hurry up!" he cried out as he pulled out his car keys and pushed the button to unlock it.

"Ugh, fine, whatever." He threw his hands up in the air as he fastened his pace and went over to the passenger side, opening the door and getting in just as Axel opened his side of the car. He slammed the door shut a little too hard but decided not to make a big deal about it as he buckled on the seatbelt. "Where are we going?"

"Demyx's place, he sounded pretty stressed out." He started the engine and put it in gear before speeding off. "Don't start with the speeding and shit like that." He swore as he shifted to second gear.

"Wasn't gonna." He spat back as he held on the door rest as Axel maneuvered around the traffic and going past a orange turning red light. "I'll yell at you later."

He snorted and smirked as he jerked the pedal to third gear. "Later then."

After ten minutes of driving at a speed that would've suspended your license for six months had been caught, Axel finally pulled a stop in front of a quaint white house with a blue roof. Cutting off the engine, both he and Roxas jumped out of the car and ran up the pathway. With a quick push of a button, his car was lock and he was tempted not to barge in the entrance. So instead, he repeatedly pressed the door bell, punched and kicked at the front door all the while screaming out, "Demyx!! Open up the fucking door!"

Of course, Roxas contributed in the shouting, but not the vandalism of private property.

And after a full on half a minute of cursing and beating the poor door, it finally opened to reveal a giggling dirty haired blond.

"What the fuck happened?" he grabbed the blonds' shoulder and started shaking the be-geezuz out of him, "And why are you laughing like an idiot?!" he cried out after the blond started guffawing in hysterics.

"Aww Axel! You really _do_ care!!" he hugged the red head and wiped away a tear of mirth.

"Ah fuck…I've been bamboozled…" he slumped his shoulders slightly and rolled his head to the side while the shorted blond stared at the taller blond with a dead-panned face.

"I feel cheated out of something." Roxas spoke as he walked away towards the car.

"Me too." The red head followed dejectedly. "We skipped lunch to be punked on."

"Hey, hey! This _is_ an emergency!" Demyx cried out as he hastily slipped on his sandals and chased after the two retreating boys and grabbed their arms.

"Oh yeah?" Axel stared incredulously as the dirty haired blond. "If this is your idea of an emergency, then I don't wanna know what a disaster would be." He raised an eyebrow and glanced at the other blond who seem nonchalant.

"Come on, please, you gotta help me." He whined as he tried to drag the two towards the house.

"With what?" Roxas asked as he half-willingly followed Demyx.

"You promise you won't leave?" he asked to make sure. "Pretty promise?" he made the puppy dog face.

"We're already here anyways." Axel rolled his eyes as he was pulled closer to the front door. "What d'ya want…?" he asked in a half hearted scowl.

"Well…" he removed his hold on the two of them and tilted his head to the side and scuffed his sandals on the concrete. He clasped his hands together and clamped his eyes shut. "We're short two players for the poker play-offs."

If this was a cartoon, gravity would've increased on poor Axel and Roxas' shoulders and their faces would've met the unforgiving ground, forever scarring them.

But it wasn't, so instead, the turned around and walked away from the begging mullet/mohawk rocker.

"W-wait!!!" Demyx cried out and chased after them once more.

* * *

Anyways, are you wondering why I'm updating so fast? I have a four day weekend!! Because I passed my practical exam on Wednesday, which means, no re-sit on Thursday! HOORAH FOR ME!! 


	41. Red bull

WHEN WILL THE DRAMA UNFOLD?!?! (Authoress cringes and pulls out hair)

This is…originally suppose to be a half humor, half romance and half drama of a story, but after a turn of events and what not, this turned into a major humor story with snippets of romance here and there. After a while, it got more (slightly) romantic, but still funny…Sigh…When will the plot show itself?!

SHOW YOURSELF YOU EVIL SON OF A (BLEEP)!

**delayed-reaction** – Lol, I know eh? I can totally see Axel being the artist type of person. Sigh…What a charmer…Lol!!  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Lol, thank you, thank you. I don't know Vincent as much as I hoped I did. All I know is that…he's a pretty cool, quiet guy. Lol.  
**WGreyB** – Awww anything for you! Lol. And thank you for such a complimenting review!  
**pride1289** – Lol, don't worry, the weekend is something to always to look forward to!  
**Launch shinra** – Lol!! I updated fast because I have a nice long weekend. Which means more time on my hands to update my stories and everything. Lol. But yes, I live in NZ…That little country hardly anybody knows about…Lol. Oh wells. (Eats cookies) And also, that guy that Axel drew? Uh…I have no idea who he is, but I reckon he's an emo too. Lol. I like the relationship between Axel and Reno as well, they're funny together.  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Lol, read on my friend, read on and you shall see…  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Lol, Demyx is always good comic relief in the story. I reckon he doesn't appear in the game and story enough. Zexion too…Damn…  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Yes, silly Demyx. It was an 'emergency' because…Well…maybe you'll find out later. Maybe. Lol.  
**XxRoxasluverxX** – 'Ex-boyfriend' character you say? Maybe I'll introduce him one day! Lol, lovely rhymes.  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Lol. Yes, curse the girl with the four day weekend. Muahaha! The word bamboozled sounds so freaking hilarious, I just had to add it in somewhere. Lol.  
**Ranchdressing** – Kya!! You'd do that?! I'd be so freaking happy!!! You can make whatever you want!! (Squeals in delight) Happy 40th chapter to you too!!  
**Conductor of Darkness **- Lol, you're not the only one whose wondered that. Lol.  
**DarkEmoKitty** – The ex is a secret until further notice. Lol. Axel was wearing gloves because he didn't want Roxas to see that he cut his finger. And, yes, sometimes middle school is cnofusnig, but don't worry. It'll all work out better for the future. If you need somebody to talk to, feel free to email me ok? Have more confidence in yourself! But yeah, sorry for the lack of romance in the story. Lol…  
**SkiHigh** – Of course. Lol, anything to keep my reviewers happy.  
**Shadoom** – Lol!! I think it'll be pretty hard unless you have something to occupy yourself with…In my personal opinion la…  
**soraXxXriku** – Lol, the conversation went more like this, (ahem)  
"Hey, what's that model over there?" (Points to car)  
"Oh man, that's the Toyota (insert car year and type and blah here). I don't know if I prefer torque or mileage. Hey…Are you still listening?"  
"What? I'm sorry, I stopped listening when after you said Lexus."  
"I said Toyota…"  
"Sorry, what was that?" Lol.  
**Soraslilangel** – Lol! Awesome!! You and Demyx have something in common!! Totally awesome man! Yeah, I realized that I'm really slow with the romance, I planned everything out a little too much and a little too well and I took the 'slow' thing too literally. I think I'm losing readers, but I don't mind, because I really enjoy writing this and I want it to be…what's that word? Dramatic? Muahaha! Lol, yeah.

* * *

Sitting around a round table, the poker chips divided evenly between five people and an awkward atmosphere (for two people) to boot, the play-offs began.

"Do you know the rules?" a blond man asked as he placed a chip in the center of the table and dealt the cards expertly.

"Err…I don't…gamble…" Roxas spoke uncomfortably as he shifted around his seat, watching Demyx, Zexion and Axel place in their opening bets as well.

'What the fuck…? Since when does Demyx play poker with…Luxord?' a certain red head thought to himself as five cards was dealt to him.

"You'll learn as you play. Nothing better than experience." The man spoke as he picked up his cards and waited for the blond to put in the opening bet. "Don't squander for time. You need to put in a bet to start off the game." He spoke as he twiddled with the circular item around his fingers.

"Oh! Oh, ok." He hastily put in a chip and picked up his own cards, staring at the numbers that beamed up at him. 'Two jacks, an eight, a five and a three…' he furrowed his eyebrows in worry. 'Is that good or bad…?'

"Anybody wanting to fold?" Luxord asked as he glanced at his cards and placed them back down.

Axel wasn't big on poker, but he knew how to play. At least, a little bit. What you need, was a straight face. 'What shitty cards…I bet he counted them.' He thought to himself as he placed down the cards.

"Nobody?" he raised his eyebrows as he stared around the table. "Alright then. Demyx, you start."

"Ooh! Ok!" he smiled happily as he stuck his tongue out. Putting down two chips and being unaware of the look that Zexion was giving him.

'Idiot…he's wearing his emotions on his sleeves.' He was tempted to smack his forehead, but decided to let it go and placed down two chips from his own pile.

And then everybody put down their own bets until it came down to Luxord who raised it to five chips. Demyx groaned and looked back to his cards before deciding to fold. "I can't do it…" he sniffed sadly and threw his cards to the 'used' pile.

Zexion looked at his own cards and calculated the possibility of winning. 'Not good…' he thought to himself and also resigned from the game.

Now it was Roxas' turn and he felt a bit of pressure weighing down on his shoulders. 'Um…I think…they're pretty good…' he thought to himself, his voice half filled with worry. So he decided to place in three more chips to counter with Luxord's bet.

The blond man raised his eye at the new comer. "So you think you can continue on this game of chance?" he asked the shorted blond, the corners of his lips lifting up to form a sinister smile.

"Y-yes?" he replied with a shaky voice.

'Idiot…I don't think he can play poker.' Axel thought to himself as he looked at his cards again. 'I think he's bluffing…' he stared at the blond man and confidently placed down three more chips to the pile.

"Quite a pot we're building here." Luxord smirked as he decided not raise the stakes. "I'll check, your turn." He indicated to the shorter blond.

"Check?" Roxas stared at his math's teacher for explanation.

"It means, that I'll skip the bet and allow you to choose whether you want to raise the bet or wait for the cards to be dealt."

"Oh, ok then. I'll check too." He felt himself shiver in anticipation.

"Check." He tapped the table and waited for Luxord to make the next move.

"Pick up to three cards to discard." The man spoke once again as he discarded two of his own cards while Axel discarded three.

Roxas looked at his cards again, 'I guess I should get rid of the crappy ones.' He thought to himself as he licked his lips and gingerly put down the eight, five and three face down on the 'used' pile.

"Now pick up whatever amount you just discarded." He gestured to the unused pile of cards for the blond.

"Oh, ok." He reached over and picked up another three cards, putting them together with his two jacks to reveal a four, a ten and a seven. He furrowed his eyebrows in disappointment.

After that, the red head picked up three new cards and Luxord picked up two more. "You start the betting round Roxas."

The blond looked back at his cards and briefly thought about folding. But another part of him told him to push forward. Slowly, and tentatively, he put in two chips to the pot.

The red head raised it by an extra chip, and the other blond raised it by two more. He smirked as he leaned forward on the table, daring anyone to continue with the game.

'He's trying to scare us.' Axel thought to himself as he waited for the blond to make his move. 'He can scare the others, but he's not gonna crack me.'

Roxas counted the chips he had left. They started with fifty each, there was thirty four in the pot. There was already eight chips from his pile in that pot. 'Should I fold or keep on going…? We're not using actual money, so I guess that's ok.' He convinced himself and put in three more chips to counter Luxord's raise while the red head put in two more to equal it all out.

'Now it's just a battle of wits. Who will crumble first?' the older man thought to himself as he smirked at the two remaining opponents. 'Should I go easy on Roxas or should I let brutality be his teacher?' he tapped the table as he weighed out his choices. 'Perhaps just this once.'

"I'll check. Now show your cards and we'll see who's the winner." He revealed his cards to be a pair of nines, a jack, an eight and an ace. "Not the best of cards, but the game's only just beginning."

Axel flipped his cards over with a smirk on his face. A pair of tens, a king, queen and an ace. Beating Luxord's cards but has yet to be declared the winner.

Gingerly, the blond placed down the cards face up and the older man shook his head in shame. "You play the game quite well Roxas. Maybe Lady Luck is with you tonight." He smirked as he pushed the winnings towards the shorter blond. "Let's start our next round and see who shall emerge victorious." He spoke as he started shuffling the cards as Roxas received whoops of delight from Demyx and a smug look from Axel.

"I was going easy on you."

"Yeah right." He rolled his eyes, smiling in an awkward fashion.

A quarter ways through the game, Demyx lost all of his chips and was made slave to the table by bringing them snacks and refreshments.

"You sure you don't want anything Roxas?" he asked as he placed down a can of soda for the red head.

"No, I'm fine." He shook his head and returned his eyes to the game. He had a pair of nines, and he doesn't think he can win the round. Looking at his pile of chips, he had roughly forty left while the red head had at least fifty, Zexion a good sixty and Luxord, the king of poker, the majority of the chips. 'I'll fold this time.'

"Are you willing to raise the stakes?" Luxord asked as he smirked at the blond.

"No thanks, I'll fold." He placed the cards into the used pile and watched the rest of the game continue on without him.

At the end of the round, Zexion and Luxord revealed a three of a kind while Axel had two pairs.

The slate haired boy claimed victory because his cards were higher by just a number.

"I'm losing to a bunch of miscreants." The blond man shook his head in shame and shuffled the cards back together.

Roxas' luck returned in the next round, winning him a pot of forty chips.

Over-confidence being his downfall, Axel lost in the next round and joined Demyx in the kitchen to fix himself something to eat.

Zexion and Roxas had roughly the same amount of chips left while Luxord held the bulk of it. But the slate haired boy lost it all in the next two rounds when Demyx tried to 'help' him.

"Sorry Zexy, I didn't mean to make you lose." He whimpered as he followed the slate haired boy into the kitchen. "I'll make you a sandwich to make up for it ok?"

"So it's down to just you and me Roxas." The man with the short blond hair spoke as he dealt out the cards. "Let's make this interesting, hmm?"

"How?" he asked as he stopped mid-way of placing in the opening bet of five chips. (It was raised when Demyx was out of the game.)

"The betting round must be a minimum of ten chips. Surely you wouldn't mind, do you?"

"I guess not." He shrugged as he placed down the opening bet on the table and took a look at his hand. He had a pair of two's and a pair of three's plus a five. "Your call." He spoke as he lowered his cards to the table and waited.

Luxord took a look at his cards and saw that he was one card away from a straight. "Alright then." He placed in ten chips and added an extra five to the pot.

Pausing to think for a second, he picked up five chips and added in another ten. Feeling confident that he would win.

"Hmm, feeling so sure of yourself eh?" he smirked as he threw in ten chips to equal out Roxas' raise but increased the pot by an extra five.

Not one to back down, he countered the older man's move and waited.

"Check." He smirked as he discarded a card and picked up a fresh one from the pile. He fought back the scowl that threatened to appear on his face.

"I'll check." Roxas discarded the five and picked up a four. Not quite what he wanted, but it was all he had now. "Your call."

He chuckled as and added in twenty chips, in an attempt to scare the blond.

Feeling intimidated, he stared at the large pot in the middle of the table and glanced back to his cards. 'He's probably got bad cards, that's why he's bluffing.' He counted the chips carefully and slid it to the pot and put in and extra ten chips for good measure. 'If you can bluff, so can I.' he thought to himself as he watched the older man.

His eyes were very well guarded as well as his face and posture. Nothing about him gave away his position. Even if it was a really bad hand.

"I'll see your ten, and raise it an extra ten." He dumped in twenty more chips into the pot.

The spectators were trembling with excitement, minus Zexion who remained nonchalant, although was inwardly rooting for Roxas to win.

"Fine." the younger blond threw in ten more chips and waited.

With a smirk and a sigh, he threw his cards face down to the used pile. "I fold."

Axel shouted out and hopped around the floor with Demyx. "Roxas won! Roxas won!"

"What cards did you have?" the blond asked as he reached over to the used pile to see.

"You really do play the game quite well Roxas. It's been a while since I've had a challenge." He quickly gathered up all the cards, smothering whatever hope Roxas had of seeing how much and how far he had beaten the older man by. "Let the next game be the last." He spoke as he shuffled the cards and dealt them out. "Opening bets start at ten this time."

"Alright." He nodded his head and put in the exact amount before glancing at his cards. 'King, jack, ace, queen and a four…I'm one card away from a straight.' He decided to take a chance and placed in twenty chips to start the betting round.

"Woah, woah. Just because this is the last game doesn't mean you should commit suicide or something." Axel spoke out as he watched the shorter blond put in such a ridiculous amount in the beginning of the game.

'Hmm, either his hands is good, or he's bluffing.' Luxord thought to himself as he glanced down at his own cards, keeping his face straight. 'One card away from a straight.'

"I'll see your twenty and I'll raise you…" he counted his chips carefully, "twenty more." He smirked as he pushed in the large pile of chips into the pot.

Roxas was taken aback slightly and was just barely able to mask his shock by throwing in another thirty chips. The older man quickly retaliated and tossed in another ten to equal it all out.

"Check." He discarded a card and waited for the other to make his move.

"I'll check." He spoke as he discarded a card and motioned for the shorter blond to pick up a card.

'Yes!' he kept his face straight as he cried out in his head when he picked up a ten. 'A straight!!'

'Excellent…' Luxord was tempted to smirk when he picked up the last card to complete his set. "Your call."

Tapping his fingers on the table and looking at his pile of chips, he decided to wing it. "All in." he shoved his remaining pile into the pot while Axel's mouth dropped open.

"WHAT?!" he cried out as he pulled his hair. "Roxas!! Think about it!!" he shook the blond. "All in?! Are you crazy?!"

Luxord smirked at the said person's bravery. "Alright then. All in it is." With a quick motion, he made his pile of chips cascade over the table towards the middle.

"Just because it's the last game!!" the red head cried out as he continued to hold onto the blonds' shoulder. Demyx was biting his fingernails in anticipation while Zexion lifted his head slightly, his eyes growing eyes and glimmering with expectancy.

"Show me the money." Luxord spoke as he opened his cards, revealing a ten of spades, a jack of hearts, a queen of diamonds, a king of diamonds and an ace of clubs.

"Oh my god…Roxas lost it." Axel sunk to the floor in defeat.

"Hold it, he hasn't shown his cards yet." The slate haired boy spoke as he stared at the blonds' closed hand.

"Reveal your cards to me." The older man smirked as he leaned forward slightly.

Slowly, Roxas revealed a ten of diamonds, making Axel let out a muffled cry. And then a jack of spades. Demyx started biting on the next finger. A queen of spades, Zexion's eyes widened just a fraction more. A king of clubs, Luxord stood up to get a better view of the cards. And finally,

An ace of hearts.

"Holy fuck…" Axel swore as he looked at the two similar yet different cards back and forth.

"…" The older man's smirk disintegrated to nothingness.

The dirty haired blond stopped biting his nails due to his gaping mouth while the slate haired boy smirked.

It was another full minute of silence before the red head finally burst out, "And the winner is Roxas!" Holding up the said person's arm in victory while Demyx roughly patted the blonds' back in congratulations.

"Lady Luck was with you tonight, but she won't be next time." Luxord smirked as he gathered up the cards once more and shuffled them.

"Luck had nothing to do with it." Roxas smirked as he helped Demyx pack away the chips into their respective containers.

"Oh, and I suppose it was your skills then?" he raised an eyebrow in question.

"Hmm…I'd say it was a bit of skill, and chance." He smiled happily, ignoring Axel and Demyx as they went through the last round. "Did you see that? Roxas was like the shit!"

"We'll see about that next week. That is, if you'll turn up again." He gripped his chin and rubbed the short blond hairs on it.

"We'll see." He smirked as he regarded his teacher. 'He's not what he's cracked up to be.' He admitted to himself.

"Ok, I'm hungry! Who's up for pizza?!" Axel cried out as he held up a cordless phone while the dirty haired blond responded by waving his arms in the air and shouting out, "Oh! Me, me, me!!"

"Not me, but if you'll excuse me, I have a _real_ poker game to attend to." Luxord spoke as he readied himself to leave.

"What? That wasn't real enough for ya?" Demyx asked as he folded his arms.

"By real, I meant with real money. As in cash, as in something you don't have the luxury of throwing away."

"As if you do?" the red head cut in, mid-way of dialing the number for a pizza parlor.

"Hmph. Maybe you should watch TV more." He smirked as he nodded his head in goodbye and exited the house, leaving behind a stunned group of teenagers.

"Is he suggesting that we watch _more_ TV?" Demyx asked as he tilted his head to Axel.

"I don't know what he's on about." The red head shrugged as he held the phone up to his ear. "Hello? Yeah, I'd like to order three large pizzas please."

"Three large-?!" Roxas almost choked, "There're only four of us, you don't need three pizzas." He cried out.

He smirked as he ruffled the blonds' hair. "A err…Hawaiian pizza, extra pineapples, a meat lover, and the ah…triple cheese one." he counted his order and how much it might add up to. "Oh, hold on a sec." he covered the phone with a hand and turned to the group. "Any drinks with that?"

"Nah, we've got more cans in the fridge." The dirty haired blond spoke as he packed away the poker table with Zexion's aid.

"You sure about that?"

"Yup, yup. We're good." He grunted as he flipped the table to the side and folded in the legs.

"Ok then," he removed his hand and spoke into the phone again. "No drinks. Oh chips?" he shifted his eyes to the others again, getting head shakes as a reply. "Oh, no thanks. That's all. Mmhmm, ok. Thanks." He hung up and placed the cordless back on the set. "Orders will be here in fifteen."

"Ok, what're we gonna do till then?" Demyx asked as he closed the door to the backroom where he and the slate haired boy just put away the poker table.

"I dunno, you tell me." He shrugged as he flopped on the couch.

"We can still play cards if you want." He suggested as he held up the said items.

"Sure, but what're we gonna play?" he propped his feet up on the coffee table.

"Oh! Oh! Go fish! I've never played it before!" Roxas cried out as he stared at the card holder with bright blue eyes.

"You've never played go fish before?" the dirty haired blond started laughing. "It's actually nothing that interesting, lemme tell you that much."

"That's what they all say, but I still wanna play! Please?" he begged as he took a seat by the red head, hands on the table ready to start.

"Ok then, if you insist." He smiled as he sat on the couch opposite the other two and started shuffling the cards, "You guys wanna play too?" he asked before dealing out the cards.

"Sure, we've got time to kill before the pizza comes." Axel lifted his feet off the table and leaned forward. Then all eyes turned to the slate haired boy.

"It's a childish game which I will not partake." He spoke nonchalantly as he shifted his weight to the other foot.

"Come on Zexy, the more the merrier." Demyx jumped up from the seat and dragged Zexion forward, making him trip over and fall onto the couch, much to his chagrin.

"OK! Go fish, go fish! How do we play?" Roxas asked as he grinned like a child.

The dirty haired blond couldn't suppress a smile as he dealt out seven cards each. "Ok first, take out all the pairs in your hand."

"Ok, what if I don't have any?" the shorted blond asked as he looked at his cards.

"Then too bad." He laughed as he took out his pair of two's.

"Aww this sucks…I don't have any pairs." Axel moaned as he rolled his eyes and snuck a look at the cards that the blond beside him held.

"Me neither…" Zexion furrowed his eyebrows and sighed miserably. 'What a childish game…'

"Ok, Roxas, why don't _you_ start?" Demyx asked as he pointed to him.

"Wha? Me? How?"

"Face the person next to you, in this case, it's Axel, and ask for a card. And if they don't have it, they'll tell you to 'go fish'," he quoted, "then that's the end of your turn, but if they have the card you want, you can ask for another card, understand?"

Slowly, Roxas nodded his head and turned to the red head. "Ermm…do you have a…three?"

With a groan, the red head surrendered over the three.

"Yes! Ok, what do I do with these?" he turned back to the dirty haired blond.

"Put the pairs in your own pile and ask for another." He indicated to the two cards that he had discarded earlier.

"Ok," sticking out his tongue as he put the pairs of three away, he looked back at his hand. "Do you have a…five?"

"Nope." He smirked, "Go fish."

"Aw…" the shorter blond groaned and picked up a fresh card. "Now what?"

"Now it's Axel's turn to ask Zexion, then Zexion asks me, then I ask you, and the cycle begins anew!" he grinned as he tapped his chin.

"Ok." Roxas nodded his head enthusiastically and watched the red head stare at his cards.

"You've got a seven?"

"No, go fish." The slate haired boy spoke dully while the red head swore. "Must I play this game?" he asked the blond sitting beside him.

"Yes. Now ask me."

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Do you have a queen?"

"Aww…you cheated!" he cried out as he gave the boy beside him the card.

"Did not." He smirked as he discarded the pairs in his own pile, "Do you have a six?"

"Nope, go fish!" he smiled as he turned his head to the blond opposite him. "Do you have a jack?"

"Aww…" Roxas groaned as he surrendered the card and pouted.

"Yes! How about an eight?"

"Aww!!!" he cried out as he furrowed his eyebrows.

Demyx giggled as he discarded the pairs and looked back at his cards. "Do you have a seven?"

"Nope, go fish." He beamed then turned back to the red head. "Got a king?"

"Yup." He gave the card to the blond and waited.

"What about a five?" Axel sighed and handed over the card. "A queen?"

"Nope, go fish." He smirked as he turned to the slate haired boy.

The game carried on the way it was up until the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Axel jumped over the seat and went towards the door. "Anybody look at my cards and I'll burn you." He threatened before he opened the door.

"Hello, pizza delivery! Your order comes down to $22.60 plus surcharge of the extra pineapples." A teenager with acne problem grinned as he held out the three boxes of pizza.

"Ok, here's twenty five. Keep the change." He gave the boy the money and took the boxes.

"Thanks!" he grinned at the tips he earned and went back to his scooter. "Have a good evening!"

"Yeah, yeah. You too!" he shouted out before closing the door. He dumped the pizza boxes in the kitchen before returning to the game. "Ok! Who's turn?"

"Roxas'." Demyx spoke as he took his cards and bolted for the kitchen. "Mm! Pineapple!!"

"Do you have a six?" the blond asked the red head once he got back to his seat.

"Yup, cheater." He smirked as he handed over the card.

"I'm not cheating!" he cried out as he discarded the two cards. "Got a four?"

"Nope, and ya can't go fish."

"Why??"

"Because there ain't no more cards." He pointed out to the pile where the un-dealt cards were before.

"Oh. Ok." He shrugged and scratched his cheek.

"Got a nine?"

"No." he shook his head before turning to where the other blond was. "Demyx! Do you have a queen?!" he shouted out.

"Yes! Be there in a sec!" the blond came back in with a can of soda in one hand and a mouthful of pizza.

Five minutes later, the remaining players were Roxas and Demyx.

"Do you have a nine?" Roxas asked, holding out two cards.

"Yup." He handed the card over and stared at his remaining card. "And I'm assuming you're gonna ask for a four?"

"Yes." He grinned and reached out for the last card. "Yoink."

"Ok, count up your pairs and we'll see who the winner is." He spoke as he picked up his pile. "Damn, I only have five pairs? That sucks!"

"I've got five too." Axel groaned as he threw his cards back to the table.

"Seven." The slate haired boy spoke as he put his cards into a neat pile unlike the red head.

"What about those cards?" Roxas asked as he pointed to the pair of twos.

"Oh, those don't count." He spoke as he retrieved the cards and put shuffled them back into the pack.

"Why?"

"Because they were the…opening cards?" he finished lamely.

"Ok." He shrugged and counted his cards again. "I've got eight pairs."

"And the winner once again is Roxas!!!" Demyx whooped out in joy as he held up the shorted blonds' arm into the air. "He is the champion, my friend!!" he sang out as he went around the couch singing out the song.

"Looks like you're awfully lucky tonight." Axel smirked as he watched the blond go into the kitchen for a slice of cheesy pizza. "Must be beginner's luck."

"You're just sour because you didn't win." He laughed as he took a big bite from it.

"Maybe, maybe. Or it could be those wrist bands I got you." He spoke as he pointed to the said items on the blonds' wrist.

"Mmm. Could be." He spoke with a mouth half filled with pizza, a bit of cheese sauce on the upper corner of his lips.

"Er…you got a little something here." He licked the corner of his own lips, hoping that Roxas would catch on.

"Here?" he asked as he swallowed and licked the wrong side.

"No, other side." His smirk eventually turned into a smile as Roxas licked the other side, but was still a bit off. Axel smacked his forehead and laughed. "Never mind, I'll get it for ya." He reached over and wiped off the cheese with his thumb. "There ya go."

"Thanks." He blushed slightly and looked down at the pizza slice in his hands, unaware of the look that Axel was giving him.

"Oooh!" Demyx came into the kitchen wearing a proud smirk. "Axel and Roxas sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G-ARGH!!!" he ran off when the blushing red head gave chase.

"I'M SORRY!! ZEXION SAVE ME!!!"

"Make the bull angry, get the horns." The slate haired boy spoke as he sipped his can of soda.

"Who're you calling a bull?!" he fumed.

* * *

Hello people! A little announcement for me to make here, for the next update, instead of a chapter, I'll be posting up a one-shot instead. Lol. I no longer have the energy and time to do post…Please hate me not.

Don't worry though, hopefully, the next update for this story will be worth it for you. Lol! Please hate me not…


	42. First week

Trust me! It'll all come together eventually!! Just put them away before they hurt me…(points at the pitchforks and torches)

**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Lol, at least you don't hate me for not posting up the next chapter.  
**delayed-reaction** – Lol, I dunno how to play go fish either…That's why I've been asking my friends to teach me how to play and I thought, 'Hmm…this could make a funny chapter.' Lol, so ta-da!! There it was.  
**pride1289** – Omg…FMA cards?! And KH cards?! Lucky you!! Damn, I wish I have some of them cards lol.  
**Ranchdressing** – Lol, maybe they are. Or maybe they stole all of Axel's luck and gave it to Roxas. Lol.  
**Soraslilangel** – Lol!! Putting all your chips in on the first game! What a gambler!!!  
**.windsinger.windpainter.** – Lol!! Thank you! Glad that you like the music too.  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – (Cracks up laughing) Yeah, I loved the last line as well. It was completely impromptu.  
**WGreyB** – Lol, I had to play Kingdom Hearts again to find out what Luxord says when he fights Sora. (Pause game, writes down quotes, un-pause game, fight Luxord, pause game, writes down quote and etc, etc. ) Lol.  
**Launch shinra** – Lol, you don't know how to play poker?? Just as well, I'm a total addict to that game. Which is not good, because I always lose my spare change to my poker friends. Lol.  
**soraXxXriku** – Lol, it took me so long to read it over and over again because I wanted it to be understandable. I reckon there are still some weird bits, but oh wells.  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Aww worry not my friend, a one shot is a one shot. Lol! It means that it's just a chapter of a story and it won't be continued on, if you get what I mean. See, if you read 'Billboard', it's a one-shot, because I have no intentions of continuing the story. Comprende?  
**Shadoom** – Lol!! Zexion as Squidward. Hilarious. Roxas is kind of like me, because I have no idea how to play go fish either. I had to ask my friends to teach me and they were like, what the fuck? Lol.  
**XxRoxasluverxX **– Yeah, that was a small smidgen of romance right there…Barely noticeable though. Lol…  
**Conductor of Darkness** – Lol, I always try.

Woohoo!! 500 reviews hit!! Does that mean I have to write another one-shot to commemorate this milestone? Lol…

Anyways, I'm well aware that it's not even fucking three days yet, but I decided not to let you people suffer. Lols.

* * *

The Saturday for Roxas was uneventful. He had to skip out on hanging around with Axel and the gang to go shopping with his mother. 

"Don't be so dramatic Axel. It's just one day." He laughed as he walked down the walkway of aisle six looking at cereal brands and biscuits.

"But Roxas!! This'll be the first day since…since…since last week that I've never been around you!!" he whined from the other side.

"It's just one day Axel, you're not gonna die or anything." He reasoned as he picked up his favorite brand of cereal. 'I think there's more at home.' He shook his head and placed it back on the shelf.

"Gack!" Roxas started hearing gurgling noises.

"You're being a drama queen again Axel." He sighed as he come out of aisle six and went into aisle five where the pasta section was and where Sora was deciding whether he wanted cheese and bacon or creamy cheddar.

"Ok, ok. But after you're done shopping, can we hang out?" he begged.

"Don't you ever get sick of hanging around me?" he laughed as he conked his brother on the head. "You still have your triple cheese at home."

The brunet groaned and rubbed his sore spot, "Aww, but Roxas…there's an offer on them!!"

"No, why would I get sick of hanging around somebody as interesting as you?" he could practically hear the smirk in the red head's voice.

"I've got chores to do at home." He reasoned as he walked out of the pasta aisle into the international food aisle where his mother was holding up packets of curry mixes.

"Honey, do you want butter chicken or do you prefer Thai curry?" she asked as she held up both.

"Who was that?" the voice from the other side asked.

"I don't mind, maybe you should ask Sora." Roxas spoke as he looked into the trolley and scanned for missing items, or extras…"That was my mum." At the mention of her, she waved and smiled. "Hello whoever you are."

Axel chuckled, "Say hi for me."

Roxas rolled his eyes and smiled, "My friend says hi too."

"Aww, I feel so touched." She smiled and dumped in both packets of curry into the trolley. "And I think Sora wouldn't mind either. So I'll just take them both."

"Ok, ok. What kind of chores do you do at home?" the red head asked.

"The usual, clean up my room, do the laundry, whatever needs to get done." He prattled on as he walked down the walkway into the juice section. 'And I need more orange juice.' Then something in the frozen section caught his eye. There was a sharp intake of breath.

"Roxas? You ok?"

"There's…" he slowly took a step forward.

"What, what? There's what??"

"There's an offer for sea salt ice cream! Do you have any idea how expensive these are!?" he cried out as he rested the phone between his ear and shoulder and held onto the box of deliciousness in both hands. "An offer like this comes only like…once a month and it only lasts for a week and I usually finish it in about three days!"

He heard the red head laugh his head off from the other side. "How many in a box?"

"Four…" he replied dejectedly.

"Why not buy two boxes then?" he suggested.

"Even when there's an offer on, it's still pretty expensive." He sighed into the phone. "Only down by a dollar."

"A dollar goes a long way." He spoke in a sing-song voice.

"Yeah, I guess. But I'm not gonna buy stuff just out of a whim. There's always…next month." He reasoned and tried to convince himself. "Yup! Always next month!" he went back to where his mother was and gingerly placed in his box of ice cream.

"Yeah, can't you buy it at the local ice cream parlor?"

"Yes, but they practically charge double the price!" he cried out as he waved his free hand about while the other reached up to hold onto the phone.

"Man, you are one picky kid." He chuckled.

"You criticize me for liking sea salt ice cream, I pity you for never having tried them." He smirked as he went down the frozen food section.

"Honey! Roxas! Is there anything else you need? I've already got everything in the shopping list." His mother called out from the end of the walkway near the check out area.

"No mum, I'm good!" he covered the mouth piece as he called out.

"Ooh, ooh! I heard that! Wanna meet outside the supermarket later?" Axel sounded very enthusiastic.

"No I'm going straight home to do my chores later!" he yelled into the phone.

Someone tapped on the blonds' shoulder, "Oh you don't have to do that. There's not much for you to do, so you can go out with your friend and I can do it for you." His mother overheard as she came up from behind.

"Mum! Oh err, no I can totally do them, like you said! There's not much to do right?" he laughed nervously.

"Aw hunny, you're so sweet, but it's ok. I'm just a house wife and what good would I be if I just laze around the house the whole day?" she giggled daintily.

"Wouldn't that be called relaxing?"

"Oh dear, always the charmer, besides, Sora already has plans with Riku as well." She spoke as she pushed the trolley down the walkway while Roxas followed close behind.

"Don't you need help putting away the groceries or bringing it into the house?" he offered, ignoring his on-going phone call with Axel.

"No need, I can get your father to help me." She smiled as she got up to the check out area and started putting items on the mini conveyor belt.

"But mum." He whined as he helped bring up some items.

"No buts dear. You need to get out more."

"Having I been going out enough already?" his shoulders slumped slightly.

"Nonsense! There's no such thing as going out too much! Besides, me and your father need to have more alone time."

This comment made Roxas recoil slightly, "Ehh…Ok." He could hear the maniacal laughter from his phone. "Sure?" he smiled awkwardly.

"That'll be $39.48 please." The cashier spoke with a fake smile and a slightly bored voice. "Cash or card?"

"Card." She replied as she took out her wallet.

"Ok, please swipe your card." She indicated to the card machine just in front. "Would that be pin or sign?"

"Sign." She smiled as she made a scribbling motion with her hand.

"Ok, sign here please." She held out the receipt and a pen towards her.

Once his mother was done signing, the cashier took the receipt and checked it next to the card and pushed the button for another receipt. "Ok, thank you for shopping here. Come again next time." She smiled as motioned for the next customer. "Next!"

"Thank you." She pushed the trolley and proceeded out the automated doors. "What were we saying?" she stopped mid way towards the car park and Roxas almost knocked into her. "Oh right, Sora's already gone off to meet with his friend, and I'll tell you what I told him. Be safe, and be sure to do your homework when you get home."

"Ok, but at least let me help you put the groceries into the car." He gave in, ignoring the whoop coming from the phone.

Once he was done putting in the groceries, his mother got in the car and drove off, but not before waving out of the window. "Bye Roxas! Remember what I said!!"

"Bye mum!!" he sighed and went back to the phone call. "Yeah…I guess I'm meeting up with you after-all."

"Excellent, I'll be there in five."

He grunted in affirmation and hung up. "Aw darn…I forgot the orange juice…" He sighed again and walked towards a park bench close to the supermarket. Swinging his feet under the bench as he waited for the red head, he noticed his shoe laces were untied and then he heard a familiar tune.

He turned his head up and greeted the red head as he bent over to tie his shoe laces. "Hey Axel."

"Yo Roxy, guess what I got cha!" the blond heard a noise that sounded much like plastic bags.

He sighed in irritation, "…How many times do I have to tell you not to buy-Woah…" he stopped midway of his telling off when he stood back up only to come face to face with a bag full of sea salt ice cream.

"Surprise!!"

The corners of Roxas' lips twitched into a smile. A very, happy, large smile. "You…you…" he pointed to the bag with a shaky finger.

"Yeah, your favorite sea salt ice cream. I figured, well, since you like it so much, I'll buy a whole lot for ya!" he smirked as he handed the bag towards the blond. "Well not a whole lot, just three boxes."

"Why?" he asked as he gingerly reached for the bag.

"Think about it, doesn't this seem familiar?"

"Er…" his smile not leaving his face as he stared at the ice cream, his mind only thinking about eating the sea salt ice cream.

"The song, the place…the day???" he probed on with a poke on the shoulder.

"The song…you first gave me was…Face Down by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus." He smirked, "The place where he first met is here in the parking lot in front of the supermarket. And the day, which is a Saturday." He smiled. "And we first met on-"

"A Saturday morning." They finished together. "Yup, you got it. And! I'd like to celebrate our first week of friendship at the place we first met," he indicated to the supermarket. "Eating your…er…favorite dessert…"

"You're gonna try it?" he quirked up an eyebrow at the red head.

"Heck, if you like it so much, I guess it shouldn't be so bad." He shrugged as he sat down on the bench motioning for the blond to join him.

"You're not gonna regret it." He smiled as he sat down and pried open the box, taking out two popsicle sticks and handing one for to the red head.

Axel accepted the offered food and slowly ripped off the wrapper to reveal an interesting colored ice cream. 'Hell…is this thing edible?' he asked himself as he turned his head to the blond who was happily slurping away. 'But I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. You only live once…' he stuck his tongue out but quickly retracted it. 'Wait…if I only live once…and I die because of this…shouldn't I _not_ eat this?' he stared at the blond who is still very much alive. 'Whatever…' he rolled his eyes, 'If I die, I blame you Roxas.' He concluded and took a big bite of it.

Then bam! His mouth was filled with a sea salty taste and he stuck his tongue out in revulsion. "Blergh?!" after a few more seconds, he started to taste the sweetness. "Hmm…" he went back to eating the ice cream.

"Good huh?" the blond asked as he continued eating the popsicle which was already halfway to being finished.

"Not bad…It's weird, I admit. But meh…" he shrugged and took another bite of it. "The salt's a bit much no?"

"The salt is the best part." He laughed as he swung his legs under the bench in happiness. "I haven't one of these since…" he finished midway and lowered his eyes to the ground, his legs slowing to a stop.

"Since…?" he inquired. "Since when?"

"Since Saturday when I was still friends with Hayner and the gang." He shrugged nonchalantly and went back to eating the dessert. 'It doesn't taste so sweet anymore…'

Axel suddenly scoffed, gaining the attention of the blond sitting beside him. He swung his arm around and rested it on the top of the bench. "Hell, you're still friends with them. Just on a vacation. Think of it that way."

"Vacation…" he raised an eyebrow skeptically. "How do you come up with these stuffs." He shook his head in amazement, a small smile on his face.

"What can I say? I'm a creative son of a bitch." He smirked as he bit into the ice cream, taking out a large chunk of it. "Blergh! Brain freeze!! Aww my teeth!!!" he cried out in agony, wincing in pain as he held onto his head with his free hand and the other fisting onto his cheek.

Roxas laughed and pointed at the red head. Axel scowled at the blond but eventually laughed along with him.

And so, it was half an hour later with an empty box of sea salt ice cream, we find Axel and Roxas still sitting on the same bench, staring into the sky watching the passing clouds.

"If you were stranded on an island with only three items, what would you choose?" Roxas asked as he glanced at the red head, holding onto a popsicle stick he has yet to discard.

"Do _you_ count as an item?" he took out the popsicle stick from his mouth.

The blond laughed, "No, I'm a human being, I don't count as an item."

"Aw, well…That sucks. If I had you, I don't need anything else." He smirked as he placed the stick back into his mouth and chewed on it. "Three things huh?"

"Yup, three things." He nodded.

"Hm…" he closed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows. "That's hard to say…" he clicked his tongue. "Can I bring anything?"

"Any_thing_ you want." He reminded the red head that he does not count as an item.

"Then the first thing I want is my phone."

"Why?" he quirked up an eyebrow at the red head.

"So I can text and phone you!" he whipped out his phone and waved it in front of the blond.

"And if it's out of batteries?" he pointed out.

"I'll want my charger too." He frowned and gripped his chin in thought.

"There's no place on the island to charge it with." He added again.

"Then I want an electrical company. That's an item too right?"

Roxas laughed, "Then you might as well ask for the island to be populated with people."

"Heh, ok your turn. Same question." He stuffed his phone back into his pocket.

"I'd want rope, drinkable water and a photo book."

"Wow…what a quick reply…" he felt a little disappointed. "Why?"

"So I can raft together a boat and leave the island." He counted on one hand. "So I won't die of thirst." He added another finger. "And I can look into the photo book of all my friends and not feel lonely." He concluded.

"And if you died in the middle of the ocean?"

"At least I tried to find my own way back." He reasoned with a small smile on his face.

"How long have you been thinking about this?" he asked with his eyebrows raised.

"It all started a couple of years back when somebody asked me the same question." He sighed and stuck the popsicle stick into his mouth, savoring the taste of what's left. "I've had a lot of time to think about it."

"Hm…Then ask me that question again in a couple of months. I'll think of an answer better than yours." He smirked as he reached over to tousle the blonds' hair.

"We'll see about that." He returned the smirk as he pushed away the red head's hand. "Your turn for a question."

"Hmm." He gripped his chin in thought as he furrowed his eyebrows. "Hmm…." He tapped onto his chin as he stared at the clouds and sighed. "Hmm…"

"If you can't think of any, you can skip." Roxas suggested as he laughed.

"Ok then, I skip."

"Lazy bum." He shook his head and leaned forward. "What's…your favorite letter of the alphabet?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"At least it's better than your 'hmm…hmmm…?!'" he mocked the red head.

"Pssh. Fine, my favorite letter is the letter x." he folded his arms and took out the popsicle stick, throwing it into the nearby rubbish bin.

"Why?" he asked as he got off his seat and went over to the rubbish bin, throwing in his own chewed up popsicle stick.

"Because it's in both your name and mine." He added with a sly smile.

"You're such a weirdo." He couldn't help but blush a little bit as he punched the red head on the shoulder.

* * *

And there you have it, Roxas' uneventful Saturday. Well supposedly it was an uneventful Saturday for Roxas, but Axel has a way of making things not turn out the way the authoress planned on happening…Damn you Axel… 

But now, it's Axel turn to suffer, for it is…the dreaded Sunday. Of which he must attend church with Roxas, so let's start off in the morning before the sun even rises.

* * *

Blue eyes unwillingly cracked opened to the noise coming from who knows where. In a soft grunt, he propped himself on one elbow and searched his room for that noise. The tapping had stopped, so he assumed that whatever it was, was gone. So he fell back onto his bed, and slowly went back to sleep. 

His consciousness gradually slipping away until the tapping returned, this time, he located the source which was coming from outside his window.

With a grunt, a huff and a growl, he stepped out of his warm bed towards his window and harshly pulled at the blinds, in an attempt to scare away whatever was doing the tapping. He had expected a bird, a small brown sparrow or maybe even a black and white magpie.

Definitely not a red headed, tall and lanky guy dressed in a black hoodie waving like it was a normal thing to do early in the morning while holding small objects what looked to be rocks in his other hand.

Roxas stared incredulously at the red head standing on the first floor just outside his window and wondered, 'Why, why, why, why, what?!'

He had considered ignoring the red head to go back to sleep, another part of him wanted to throw the nearest object (which happened to be his alarm clock) to the red head, and another part of him wanted to find out why he's so freakin' early.

Sighing and choosing the third option (but keeping the alarm clock nearby in case he had the stupidest reason), he opened his window and harshly whispered, "What are you doing here?! It's too early! Go back home! Some people still wanna sleep you know?! You insomniac!"

The red head merely widened his grin, dropped the little rocks and cupped his hands together to form a makeshift microphone. "Good morning to you too." He replied in a loud whisper. "Get dressed, I wanna show you something."

"Can't you show me later? I'm still kind of tired here." He yawned as he leaned over the window sill and rested his chin on his palm while resting his elbow on the cold wood.

"No, it's gotta be now."

Roxas groaned some more and closed his eyes, rubbing away the crust that formed at the corners of his eyes. "Now?" he asked again to make sure.

"Yeah, now." He pointed to the grass he was standing on. "Get dressed and get down here now."

"Can't you show it to me from up here?" he asked as he scratched his head.

"No, you gotta come with me."

"Where?" he really didn't want to leave so early.

"I'm not gonna tell ya where, just get your ass down here." He grinned like a Cheshire cat.

He groaned out his annoyance and sighed. "Gimme ten minutes." He spoke as he moved to go back inside.

"I'll give you five." He smirked as he watched the blond stick his tongue out while closing the window.

After doing his morning routine, choosing what to wear (although he was too tired to care about fashion), getting his personal belongings with him, and writing a note to his family saying that he went out early but he'll still be there for church, he was out in seven minutes.

"I thought I said five." The red head smirked as he watched the blond yawn again.

"I thought I told you to gimme ten." He growled out as he glared at the red head who disturbed his much needed sleep after pulling almost an all nighter on his stupid computing assignment.

"Yeah, yeah. Just stop your whining and get in the car." He chuckled as he reached over to mess up the blonds' hair.

Roxas reacted too slowly and by the time he reached up to smack away the hand, Axel was already halfway to his side.

With another sigh, he opened the car door and hopped inside, closing the door then opening it again because he didn't have enough energy to close it properly the first time, then closing it again before buckling on his seatbelt at a snail's pace. "Ok, where are we going?"

"I'm not telling." Axel spoke in a sing song voice as he started the engine.

"Ugh, you're so annoying." He huffed and decided to sleep on the chair. "Wake me up when we get there."

"Yup, yup." He chuckled as he drove, trying to be as quiet as possible while in the suburban area.

The blond was asleep within a few minutes, gently snoozing away as the red head drove on, sneaking occasional glances to Roxas.

They reached their destination in a short period of time but Axel decided to wait a while before waking up the blond. 'There's still a bit of time left.' He thought to himself as he looked at the digital clock in his car as he cut off the engine and pulled on the brakes.

The blond stirred but didn't wake, making the red head release the breath he didn't know he was holding. 'Gotta admit though, he looks cute when he's asleep.' He almost smacked himself on the head for such a thought but he decided to settle for banging his head on the steering wheel. 'Bad thoughts, bad thoughts, go away.' He sighed dejectedly, 'We're just friends, nothing more.' Then he raised his head to peer over the steering wheel. 'Well that's more of a sad thought than a bad thought.' He groaned and sat up on the driver's seat, watching over the horizon and waiting.

He stared at the clock once more and decided it was time to wake up the blond. He might have to put up with a slightly pissed off Roxas, but he had a good reason for it. "Yo sleeping beauty. Wake up." He smirked as he gently shook the blonds' shoulder.

"Hummamuh?"

"_Now_ who's not talking English?" his smirk faltered, 'Oh shit, haven't done my assignment yet. Fuuuuccckkk.' He swore in his head as he kept the smirk on his face.

"What, are we there yet?" he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

'Phew…he didn't notice.' He rejoiced in his head. "Yeah, we're here. Come on." He unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped out of the car, walking up towards the railings of the terrace.

Slowly, but surely, the blond joined him. "What're we here for? It's still dark out."

"Just wait for it. It should come any minute now." He leaned over and rested the top half of his weight on the cool metal.

Roxas yawned and followed suit of what the red head did, his eyes drooping to a close every once in a while before he forced himself to stay awake. "I don't see anything."

"Wait for it." He could almost see it, the horizon gradually growing more of an orange color as the night sky receded. With a side glance, he noticed the blonds' head occasionally nodding off. He smiled as he shook his head. "Ok fine, can you see it?" he asked as he pointed to the space in front of him.

"See what?" he squinted his eyes, even though they were still half closed.

"The sky." He replied as he lowered his hand down and rested it back on the railings. "Just wait a little longer and eventually it'll come up."

"The sun? We're here to see the sunrise?" he felt a strong urge to smack the red head over, "You woke me up for a sunrise?!" he cried out as he glared at the red head, feeling the sleepiness flow out of his system like a flood.

Feeling an aura of anger building beside him, he quickly answered, "Well you should know, since, well…we also met on that fateful day when it was sunset, I'd figured that, err…we should hang out when it's sunrise too. Like a err…Anniversary!" He smiled awkwardly as he watched the sun peek over the horizon from the corner of his eye. "Look!"

Roxas turned his head and felt his shoulders relaxing. The sky was colored a beautiful mixture of orange, red, dark purple and dark blue. And it peeked over the horizon just enough to have a bright gleam. He had to shield his eyes a little as the sun rose higher into the sky.

"So…what d'ya think?" the red head asked warily.

The blond turned his head to face Axel. And with a smile, he said, "Happy one week anniversary." before going, "Blegh…that sounded weird." He laughed at himself as he continued to watch the sun slowly rise into the sky.

"Yeah well, it's original. So happy one week anniversary to you too." He smiled as he swung an arm over the blonds' shoulder who valiantly tried but failed to smack off.

* * *

Aww!! Happy first week anniversary to you too!!! Woot woot!! (cries tears of happiness) One week equals to forty-plus chapters…how…brilliant… 

There was a bit of an intermission there, why? Mainly because I was in a weird mood. Lol. So I decided to narrate a little bit. Lol. Go me!


	43. Mushrooms

Eh…It's 12am, and I'm still awake? Lol…I don't actually have a life…Ain't that just sad…Yeah…go cry me a river.

My fingers are feeling very numb and cold…Let me sit on it.

**WGreyB** – Ah, yeah, I know. It's only been a week, sadly…  
**Soraslilangel** – Lol, yes, I am horribly guilty for that. One week equaling to forty two chapters is so not cool…Gotta speed this along my friend.  
**delayed-reaction** – Of course! He's our dearest Axel, he can handle anything!  
**XxRoxasluverxX** – Lol! Thank you! I'm glad you think so. I can't wait to type it all out! Muahaha. Lol.  
**Erinicole12** – Aww, you're grounded? That's a bit sad…And you're moving too? Into a nicer house eh? Lols.  
**pride1289** – Lols, glad you think so.  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Happy anniversary to you too!!  
**Ranchdressing** – Lol, don't get me started on that forty chapters part. I'm so guh about that.  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Lol! No harm in reading it twice. I always do that, sometimes even three times.  
**soraXxXriku** – Ahahaha…Well, I have some sort of idea when the romance will come, although I'm not too sure exactly WHEN, so erm…Lols…sorry…  
**Leixra** – Lols, you _might_ find out about him eventually, although how much I can guarantee that is err…pretty bad. Lols.  
**Hypothetical.Wonder** – Lol, yes it was special to me too. But no worries about not reviewing, I understand how busy people get.  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Yeah, I love that one week anniversary thing. But it took 42 chapters to get out. Lols, that's just sad…  
**Launch shinra** – Lols, yeah. Poker can be a brutal game if you don't got the basics, but once you do, it'll be a snap! Lol!!! Get it? Snap? Lol.  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Oh ho ho ho. I will not reveal anything to spoil you! I'm evil like that. Lols.  
**Astrazoxity**/**astra.zox.it.ee** – Lol! You reviewed every single chapter!! Oh my gosh!! What dedication!! But yeah, I HAVE seen 'ten things I hate about you', one of my favorite movies, Heath Ledger total hotness…but seriously…I can't believe you're gonna shoot me!! (runs and hides) But yes, thank you for the head's up with PWP…I was scarred for life when I first asked, and then you had to give me a deeper explanation. Lols.  
**asylum-bound** – Ah, you're far too kind. You're review has brought a huge smile on my face. (Smiles like the idiot that I am.)

Holy shiitttttt – 30k hits? I'm fucking high. Lol!!

How often do you get this far into the story and get a new reviewer who ACTUALLY reviews every single fucking chapter? It's like, so, damn, fucking, awesome! Here's to you, **astrazoxity/astra.zox.it.ee**!!

* * *

"Holy shit, it's already opened?" he asked in disbelief as he stared at the familiar unlit neon sign over the roof of the building. "Never knew they opened this early."

"Haven't you asked that before?" Roxas wondered as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Yeah and that was pretty early to my standards. But this is downright ridiculous." He turned the engine off and took out the keys from ignition before unbuckling his seatbelt and hopping out of the car.

"Well, you _did_ say you wanted breakfast and you_ did_ wonder if they were opened this early. So technically, this is a _good_ thing going for you." He smirked as he followed suit and got out of the car as well. This time, having enough energy to close the door shut.

"Yeah, yeah smart-ass." He smirked as he pushed the button for the alarm and walked towards the entry way.

The front door jingled, bringing the attention of the staff to the new comer's. Of course, the happy go lucky blonde girl skipped up to them with smiles and menus. "Good morning sunshine!!" she spoke in a radio style greeting. "Funny how I've been seeing you guys a lot lately eh?" she let go of saying the word 'Kupo' mainly because they were the only customers in the restaurant.

"Morning Rikku." Roxas smiled as he waved at the bubbly girl.

"Yeah, sorry about er…yesterday." He rubbed at the back of his neck. "There _was_ an emergency but it turned out to be some lame prank." He shook his head and followed Rikku to their table.

"Oh, no worries. I totally understand. I mean, you rushed off without food to help your friend! Even though your friend was just punking you." She laughed as she placed down the booklets in front of the red head and the blond. "Oh!" she reached into her apron. "Here's your five bucks back." She spoke as she put the note down and slid it towards Axel.

"Why? It's a tip for you." He raised an eyebrow and slid it back towards her.

"No. You didn't order any food, and I didn't serve you any food therefore I don't deserve a tip." She pushed the note back.

"Bullshit. You _wasted_," he shoved the note back. "Ten minutes on a runaway client."

"Well, this time you can _make_," she gave him a hard kick, picked up the note and shoved it down his hoodie "Up for it and buy a lot of food from us!" she stuck her tongue out and ran away.

"Hey! Harassment!!!" he screamed out, unable to wipe off the smirk as he tried to search for the money. "Where that five bucks run off to?" he asked himself as he pulled at his neck hem and looked inside. After looking left and right and pulling at it some more, unaware of the strange look he was getting from the blond sitting across him, he cried out "Found it!!" as he magically pulled out a five dollar note from inside his black sweater. "Ta-da." He laughed at himself as he took out his wallet from his back pocket and slipped in the bill and left the wallet on the table.

"That was interesting." Roxas spoke as he quirked up an eyebrow.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Who wouldn't wanna receive tips?" he laughed out as he flipped opened the menu and started looking at the breakfast section.

"No, I meant like, the way you two acted."

"Feeling…jealous?" he wiggled his eyebrow up and down, making the blond snort and laugh at the same time. "We're just er…what do you call it? Good business?" he laughed at himself again and flipped to the next page. "Anyways, what do you wanna eat?"

"I don't know." He spoke as he stared at the pictures. "I kind of want something sweet, but I want something salty at the same time."

"Sea salt ice cream?" he added with a smirk.

The blond let out a snort, "I wish."

"Well, if you want something sweet and salty, why don't you order this?" Axel spun the menu around for the blond to see and pointed to a picture of what seemed a very thick toast.

"Toast?" he squinted at the picture. "Toast?" he repeated once more as he stared at the red head.

"Read it you doofus." He chuckled.

"French Toast…A salt-buttered toast with a peanut-butter filling, grilled to perfection and served with maple syrup." He read out and almost drooled. "Sounds good."

"Yeah, you just did free advertisement, because I want it too now." He laughed as he took back the menu. "Should I get coffee or tea…?"

"Go for orange juice. Coffee or tea is just gonna make you hyper." Roxas smiled as he stuck out his tongue at the corner of his mouth.

"Same thing as energy drinks then, but you didn't say anything last time."

"I wasn't thinking about it."

"Well too bad. I'm gonna go for a flat white."

"Suit yourself." He shrugged as the red head waved and called out to Rikku.

"Yo Rikku!!! We're good and ready to go!"

"Leaving so soon?" she laughed as she hopped over with a pen and pad in hand. "What would you like boys?"

"We'll have two French toasts and two cups of orange juice please." He held out two fingers as he spoke.

"What happened to having a flat white?" Roxas asked as he closed the menu and stared at the red head.

"Eh, changed my mind." He closed the menu and gave it back to the blonde. Roxas followed suit. "What can I say? I'm a man of mystery." He shrugged as he smirked while the blonde merely rolled her eyes and shook her head. The other blond just snorted with a roll of his eyes.

"Alrighty, that's two frenchies and two oranges, coming right up. Would you like fries with that?" she started laughing in hysterics. "Man, I have _always_ wanted to say that." She wiped away a tear.

"Then work in a fast food chain." Axel suggested.

"What? No way! The food ain't as good there as it is here!!" she cried out.

"DAMN RIGHT IT AIN'T!" a gruff voice from the kitchen sounded. "NOW GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE SO I CAN FILL OUT THEM ORDERS!!"

"Aye-aye Captain Cid!!" she saluted and jogged up with the orders in hand. "That's two frenchies and two oranges!"

"Speak English woman!!"

Axel froze and sincerely hoped that Roxas either didn't hear it or was thinking about something else. 'Please, please, please, oh merciful God. If Roxas doesn't realize, then I'll forever be grateful to you and I'll do my homework as soon as I get home. Please, _please_, please!' he begged in his head, picturing himself mentally clapping his hands in front of him and kneeling on the floor.

"Hmm…"

'Oh crap.' His eye twitched as he forced on a smile that was a bit on the awkward side.

"I wonder what it'll taste like." The blond spoke as he sat back in his seat.

"Like…heaven?" The red head relaxed immediately and stared up at the ceiling. 'Thank you, thank you, _thank you_.'

"Oh, and Axel?"

"Sup?" he started tapping on the table with his fingers in a rhythmic tune.

"Don't think that I've forgotten about that English homework either." He spoke in a casual 'know-it-all' voice.

The read head cursed and showed his displeasure by folding his arms and pouting like a three year old. He turned his head back up to the ceiling, 'Yeah, thanks. For _nothing_!!'

The time it took for their food to arrive, be devoured then cleared up, was a mere half an hour. But they stayed for at least two hours, watching people come and go, talking about whatever things that pop up in their mind like the occasional question of 'favorites' and 'what if's'.

"Another cuppa joe?" the blonde waitress asked as she held up a flask of piping hot, fresh off the machine, Jamaican brew coffee.

"Nah, I'm all good thanks." Axel shook his head as he warmed his slightly numb fingers on his own half empty but still fairly warm cup of hot chocolate.

Roxas also shook his head as he blew into his own cup of cocoa before taking a small sip.

"Alrighty then." She smiled and walked off to a close by table and offered the patrons if they wanted coffee for themselves.

As the blond stared outside the window, his mind wandered back and forth the sunrise he had the pleasure of viewing with the red head and his much needed sleep. 'It was worth it though.' He smiled to himself before taking another sip.

"What are you smiling about?" Axel asked with a smirk on his face before bringing the cup up to his lips.

"The sunrise." His smile widened but he didn't turn to face the red head as he spoke.

"If you want, I could take you again." He offered as he drank his hot chocolate.

"Sure, just not next week. I need my sleep." He rubbed his eyes tiredly and fought back a yawn.

"Can do." He nodded his head and sniffed. Feeling warm and cold at the same time, his nose started running. "I have a question for you."

"Ok, what is it?"

"What's the best cure for a cold?" he asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"Er…chicken noodle soup?" he replied with a lop-sided smile.

"You think so?" he asked as he pulled out a serviette from the dispenser and blew his nose into it.

"I guess, I mean, my mum always gives me a bowl when I'm sick." He reasoned as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Hm…Ok then." He nodded his head again and drank the rest of his hot chocolate.

"Why? Feel a cold coming on?" Roxas asked as he raised the cup to his lips and gently blew into it.

"Nah, I don't get sick." He smirked as he twiddled around with the cup handle.

Roxas snorted and rolled his eyes. "Question."

"Hit me."

"You liked the sea salt ice cream you tried yesterday right?" he asked as he took another sip of cocoa.

"If I didn't I wouldn't have eaten two." The red head chuckled as he scratched his forehead from its itch.

"Then you should try eating ice cream with pretzels. They're good." He suggested as he placed his cup back down on the table.

"Geez, what's with you and weird foods? All the sweet and salty stuffs combined together and everything." He started laughing.

"What? They're interesting, not weird. And well…they taste good! So that's all that matters!" he reasoned with a slight scowl.

"Yeah, sure, sure. I'll try it next time I'm at an ice cream parlor that sells pretzel bags." He rolled his eyes and yawned a little. "Is there a specific ice cream I should eat it with?" he asked, his voice filled with a hint of sarcasm as he rested his elbow on the countertop.

"Hm…" he had a thoughtful look on his face, I've always eaten it with vanilla ice cream." He took another sip from his cocoa.

The red head almost slipped off, "I was being, ah never mind." He chuckled as he shook his head.

Roxas scoffed and glanced at the clock as he drank his cocoa and almost spat it back out when he saw the time. "It's after nine already!! We have to leave now!" he quickly drank the rest of his drink without scalding his tongue too much while the red head quickly got up, collected his belongings from the table top and jogged over to the podium to pay for their meal.

When the blond joined him, he was already half way out the door pushing the button of the car alarm to de-activate it. "Axel!"

"What?" he called out as he opened the driver's door and hopped in while the blond skidded to the other side and hastily got in as well.

"How much do I owe you? I just realized that you've been paying for everything."

"Don't sweat it. Just treat me to a nice five star restaurant next time." He smirked as he started the engine and drove down the street.

"Yeah, sure. Like, when I become a millionaire or something." He spoke with sarcasm as he rolled his eyes.

"Who knows? Maybe you'll win the lottery." He laughed as he went for second gear.

"I'm still underage."

"Well so am I, but my height makes me look about 18." He reasoned as he stuck his tongue out while driving.

"Which reminds me, how old are you?" he asked as he stared at the red head.

"Seventeen." He smirked as he sped past a yellow light. "Why?"

The blond became silent as he turn to stare out the window with a sulk. 'I'm a year younger than him but there's no way I could get that much of a growth spurt by the time _I_ get seventeen…' he sighed to himself.

"Hello, earth to Roxas!" he cried out as he slowed down. "I don't know where your church is, so you gotta lead the way for me dude."

"Oh." He turned back to the front. "Oh! Right!" he laughed nervously and started looking around. "Ok, get onto the southeast motorway and stay on till you get to route 13." He pointed to the sign that illustrated a small map.

"Ok, sweet." He signaled to go onto the right line and checked his rearview mirror for any cars before going in. "Southeast motorway, route 13." He repeated.

After a good fifteen minutes of somewhat reckless driving on the motorway, swerving in and out of the lanes to get to their destination quicker, they managed to get there with another five minutes to spare.

Although this merited them a lot of stares from a lot of the grown ups and a few kids. Most of the teens ogled at Axel's car.

"Woah, dude. Nice ride." A boy roughly the same height as Roxas complimented as he stared at the car, almost drooling at the sight of it. "I'm turning 16 soon, and I was thinking of getting my dad to buy me a Toyota sports car."

"Good for you." The red head commented as he locked the car with a push of the button.

"Is it modified?" another boy asked as he stared in the reflection of the side view mirrors.

"Err well…"

"How much did you get it for?"

"Ah that's-"

"How long have you driven it?" another teen asked, swarming in on the car.

"At least a couple of-" he took a step back, trying to gain himself some personal space.

"Not even a scratch on it! You must really look after it."

"Of course, I look-" he backed up to his car and couldn't achieve any more room for himself to breathe.

"It doesn't even look dirty either."

"That's because I-"

"Where did you buy it from?"

There was a loud cough from behind and all of them turned around. "Boys, boys, boys. Give our new comer some space." A somewhat pudgy man with slightly graying hair smiled politely as he stepped closer.

"Sorry Geoff." They smiled and laughed as they did as they were told. "But he's got a really nice car."

"Yes, and it seems that you've all overwhelmed him with too many questions." He smiled and extended his hand out to him. "Welcome to our church, what's your name?"

Axel laughed nervously as he glanced at the blond before reaching out to shake hands with the older man. "Hi, I'm Axel, a err…a friend of Roxas."

"Roxas' friend?" he turned to look at the blond before turning back to the red head. "Excellent! The more the merrier." He shook vigorously and led him into the church while the blond fought back a smirk and followed them in. "Say, you look like a pretty strong guy." Axel scoffed in his head and swore he heard the blond snort. "We're just about to start but we need a couple more hands to move some band equipment." He lowered his voice to a light whisper. "They got caught up in traffic." The red head laughed nervously.

"Sure, I can help." He nodded his head and allowed the older man to lead the way, although he felt there was no need to keep a hand on his shoulder. 'I am officially creeped out.'

"Oh, watch your step." He warned as he pointed to a tiny step. "It's not an actual step, but a lot of people trip over it." He walked through a set of double doors into a spacious room filled with cheap but comfortable metal chairs with padding. Up front was the stage where there was a group of much older teenagers setting up their equipment, chatting and laughing to themselves.

When they saw the red head enter, they stilled their conversations and stared. Axel felt somewhat uncomfortable and was very tempted to swear at them and give them the finger. 'This is a church…must behave myself…' he thought to himself and made it repeat in his head like a mantra. "This here, is our church band. I'll be right back, I still need to greet our church people." He smiled and left the red head and the blond in the room.

Almost immediately, they all jumped off the stage and walked over with smiles and laughs. "Hey! New guy! We get new people all the time but you're probably the most memorable one!" the guy with short brown hair and a slightly shorter height than the red head spoke as he shook his hand. "I'm Matt, do you play any instruments? You can join our band."

"I'm Axel, but I'm just a visitor." He reasoned as he glanced at the blond who pretended he wasn't there but inwardly enjoying the torment the red head was going through.

"Not planning to come back next week?" another asked as he introduced himself. "I'm Nigel." He had short, messy black hair and was a head shorter than the red head. He smiled as he gave him a hard slap on the back as a greeting.

"I work most days. I'm here today because Roxas asked me to come." He reasoned as he shifted his eyes to the blond for a fraction of a second. 'More like I was blackmailed.' He scowled in his head.

"Name's David." A guy with dark blond hair spoke as he introduced himself. "Wanna help us out a bit? We still need to get the drum set out from the van."

"Sure." He tried to force up a smile but decided against it. 'It'll probably look retarded.' He reasoned as he glanced at the blond who was sitting on a chair and seemed to be enjoying himself. 'He even got himself comfortable.'

"Excellent! It looks like you boys are getting to know each other." The older man entered the room once again and clapped his hands together. "By the way Axel, is that your natural hair color? My daughter was asking about it."

"Yeah, me and my brother both have red hair."

"I see, I see. Must be in your genes then." He nodded his head and walked up to the group. "And those tattoos?"

"Oh err…sorry." He rubbed at his cheeks in an effort to hide them.

"No need to be sorry. Young people always experiment with new things. I use to wear earrings back in the day." He reminisced as he sighed contentedly.

"Then I'll bet you thought I was one of those punks eh?"

"Oh believe you me, I thought you _were_ one of them. But as they say, don't judge by looks, or something like that."

'I prefer Roxas' way better.' He thought to himself as he laughed with the older man.

"Anyways, I've still got a job to do, so why don't you stick around and help the boys out hm?" he suggested as he strolled away to a couple.

Just when the older man walked off, the red head was pushed towards the entrance by an over enthusiastic band member. "Man, that's the first time I've seen Geoff act that way! I think you got on his good side." Matt laughed as he continued on giving Axel a light shove. "Anyways, the van's that way. The others told me to help you help us." He turned his heads back and shouted, "Roxas!! Wanna give your friend a bit of help?" he asked as he started walking towards the white van.

"Oh yeah, sure." He stifled a laugh and jogged after them. "So Axel, how're you feeling?"

"Welcomed with wide open arms." He gave the blond a forced smile and a hard glare as he followed the guy named Matt.

"Ok." He took out a chain of keys and unlocked the back door. "Roxas you can carry this." He heaved out a couple of circulars bags and handed them over to the blond. "And Axel, you can carry these." He pulled out a couple of metal poles and a pair of large cymbals for the red head. "You good?"

"Great." He carefully took the items and trekked after the blond while trying to balance the equipment in his arms. As he walked up to the doors, he forgot about that 'extra' step and promptly tripped over it. "Oh shit!" he swore out loud and blushed furiously as he managed to clamp down everything in his arms. Everybody in the building turned to stare at him, even Roxas whose eyes were widened but filled with worry and shock.

"Ahh…taki mushrooms. Shitaki mushrooms! Gotta love those mushrooms." He laughed nervously as he inched away from the lounge room into the church hall.

Roxas had burst out in guffaws and gently released the equipment to the floor so he could bend over and hold onto his stomach as he laughed. He started slapping his knee despite the looks he was getting from the other people, although a few of the teens started laughing as well.

A hand landed on Axel's shoulder and he slowly turned around to see a laughing Nigel. "Man, you are hilarious. But you gotta hold your tongue around here though."

"Yeah, sorry about that." He continued to blush as he started setting up the cymbals on the stage, not waiting for the blond to join him.

"Yo, what's the hubbub? I just saw Roxas cackling like there was no tomorrow." Matt joined in as he picked up whatever the said person was originally in charge of.

"You totally missed it! Axel's a serious comedian man!" David cried out as he stood up from the floor of which he was balled over.

"Yeah…ahaha…" he continued to laugh nervously as he fought down the horrible sweat that was coming on. 'Shitaki mushrooms…Hah.' He scoffed in his head, unaware that he was the talk of the church.

As soon as the band was set up, he tried to make himself as unnoticeable as much as possible, but with his height and flaming red hair, it proved to be a very difficult task. But everything managed to settle down once the service started and he begrudgingly sat beside the blond close to the back.

"Nice move Axel." The blond commented as he smirked.

The red head grumbled his displeasure and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Good morning! Welcome to everybody in today's service. We've got a few new comers so you know the drill. Question them relentlessly." He started laughing and a few other people joined in as well.

Roxas merely smiled as he glanced at the red head who tried to make himself seem shorter by bending his knees slightly.

"Anyways, we'll start off the service with our usual songs." He clapped his hands together and turned around to the band. "Ready when you are." He gave them a thumbs up and walked off the stage.

As the band started playing and the projector screened out the lyrics on the wall, everybody started singing and praising in the name of the Lord.

Axel felt immensely out of place as everybody sang the song with their eyes shut as though the words were imprinted in their mind and possibly their hearts. Although Axel wasn't a big fan of singing church songs, he settled for humming as he watched the blond beside him singing quietly to himself.

'Well, as long as I'm with Roxas, I could care less.' He thought to himself as he joined in the light swaying from foot to foot as the music progressed on.

* * *

I was TEMPTED to restart this chapter as well. But I thought about it...a HECK of a whole lot, and then, I decided…Meh, I'll just leave it as it is. Lol.

On second thought, I was EXTREMELY tempted to restart this chapter again, and again. But as luck would have it, I've written too much and I just can't be stuffed writing out another ten pages. So boo hoo.

And yeah, still wondering why I'm still up so late in the night? Well, class starts at 2.30 tomorrow, that's why I can afford to stay up late. Lol. So, if you cried me a river, I feel really touched, really, I do. But err…well, what can I say? No use crying over spilt milk? I have no idea what that's supposed to mean, but it sounds about right. Lol.

So, goodnight, adios, ciao, sayonara, bon voyage, and er…yeah…jai…jien? Ah whatever!


	44. Which is worse?

(Cries tears of joy) Oh my gosh…After so, so, SO much practice…I have perfected Roxas' hair!!! Muahahhaaa!! (Insert happy face) Axel!! Now it's your turn!!!

Axel: Say wha?

**soraXxXriku** – Lol, I had a good laugh about Axel swearing in the church hall, it was hilarious.  
**delayed-reaction** – Aww really? That sucks, because I can totally picture it in my head. Maybe I need to be more descriptive?  
**Soraslilangel** – Lols, poor you. No more privacy…if I don't restart the chapter, I'll probably end up posting some random crap. Lol…and you don't really want that…Do you?  
**astra.zox.it.ee** – Lol, I update every three days or so my friend. And lemme warn you, there's no kissing in this chapter, probably not next chapter either. So if you'd like, maybe you can check back in like…a month or so. Lols! That's what another reviewer said she'll be doing. (Sigh)  
**pride1289** – You don't get wha?? (is lost an confused)  
**mornir-brightflame** – Lols, five hours? Damn…talk about dedication to reading. Lol.  
**WGreyB** – You really should try it! IT'S YUMMYYY! Lol.  
**asylum-bound** – Ah, a little moderation is all it is. But I have that song now thanks to you. Lol.  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Ah, yes. The feeling of absolute awkwardness and shock…  
**Honto.Kawaii.Neko-chan** – Lol, if you want some real flirting, (and I don't wanna toot my own honk) maybe you should check out Attraction in my profile.  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Lol, excuse my profound language. I have absolutely no shame in that department. (Snorts)  
**Aindel S. Druida** – Oh, no, no, no, you misunderstood. The ordered orange juice, FINISHED IT, then ordered a cup of hot chocolate each while they waited for the time to pass. Sorry I did not clarify it before. Lols.  
**Ranchdressing** – Lol, I've actually pulled that thing off that church before, although I only said the 'shh' part…It was so embarssing…  
**manic the hedgehog** – Lols, I'm glad you're enjoying the story thus far.  
**Erinicole12** – Lols, if there were lemons in here of any sort, I would've said so already.  
**Launch shinra** – No, I don't think I've watched that movie. I'm assuming it's a horror movie? Lols, especially with that cringe.  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Yeah, I'm always out of place at church. I'm like…the only person who wears all black. Lols….  
**Conductor of Darkness** – Ah, church is fine once you get use to it. If you go to it often enough. Lols.  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Lol, together by Saturday of next week? Ah…maybe you should get yourself a um…err…something less dangerous than a gun instead. Lol…  
**Hypothetical.Wonder** – Aww shucks, you're too nice to me sometimes. A lot of people can somehow relate to Axel, it's funny to see just how many actually do. Lol.

Fark…100 alerts? You guys rock. Lol. Maybe I should post another one shot. Lol. (laughs like an idiot)

* * *

"So Axel! What did you think of today's service?" Geoff asked as he gave the red head a light pat on the back.

"Very inspirational. I mean, I've always worked with a sense of teamwork, but this really takes it to a new level. I've actually never thought about it that way." He spoke as he conversed with the older man.

"Good, good. I'm glad you feel that way." He smiled, "Oh, Roxas, come here for a second." He motioned for the blond to separate from his chattering parents. "Are you thinking of coming to the holiday camp? You can bring Axel along too."

"I go every year with my brother anyway." He smiled as he glanced at the brunet by his parents. "But it's Axel's choice if he wants to come or not. He _does_ work after all." He reasoned as he shifted his eyes to the red head.

"Oh! Err…I could always try and ask for time off." Axel spoke as he scratched the back of his head.

"Excellent! But if you can't, then no need to fret over it. But it'll be wonderful if you could join us." The older man smiled and started walking off to another regular comer. "Come again next week! We'll be happy to have you again." He waved his goodbyes and began chatting to another older group of people.

Roxas was about to get a whispered scolding from the red head until another joined in. "Man! If I knew that you were gonna bring Axel along, I would've asked Riku to come too!!" the brunet whined as he sighed.

"What's stopping you next week? I'm gonna blackmail Axel to come again." He snickered while the red head wore a look of ludicrous.

"Ooh, so _that's_ how you got Axel to come. Maybe I should try it on Riku." He started smirking as he began plotting in his mind. "What can I use on Riku to get him to come…?"

"I feel sorry for Riku..." Axel scoffed as he turned away.

"One week to go before end of term holiday starts, and then a week of youth camp, then one more week of freedom before we gotta go back to school again." Roxas sighed as he thought about the future plans. "Two weeks isn't long enough."

"Agreed!" Sora suddenly jumped in on his brother and started shaking him. "If _you're_ bringing Axel to camp, then _I'm_ bringing Riku along too!!"

"Go-for-it." He spoke in between shakes and clamped down on his brother's hand. "Stop-sha-king-me."

"No, no, keep going. I enjoy watching Roxas suffer." The red head smirked as he tilted his head to the side.

He blond turned his head to Axel and could only mutter out one word. "Je-er-er-er-erk." This of course, sent the red head into hysterics.

* * *

"Ok, so, what are you gonna do when you get home?" Roxas asked as he walked the red head to where his car was parked.

"I'm…going home to do my homework." He sighed. "Can't we hang out together some more?" he pleaded.

"No," he shook his head firmly, "and after your homework, what are you gonna do?"

"Go…to work." He rolled his eyes and slouched his shoulders. "What about _after_ work?"

"No," he shook his head again, "and after work what are you gonna do?"

"Go back home, take a shower and go to sleep." He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants. "Can I pick you up tomorrow morning?"

"No, I catch a bus with Sora."

"No problem, I can pick the both of you up tomorrow, save bus money and everything!!" he offered with a large grin on his face.

"Thanks, but we live in the opposite direction of your apartment _and_," he stopped the red head from butting in. "School is completely out of the way from your apartment to my house. You'll end up wasting petrol." He reasoned. "It's not that I don't _want_ you picking me and my brother up, it's just, you know." He shrugged as he kicked a pebble away.

"Yeah, yeah." He sighed and opened the driver side door.

"You're coming to camp with me right?" the blond asked suddenly as the red head slipped into his seat.

"Only to keep you company." He smirked as he reached out to mess up the blonds' messy morning hair. When a familiar ring-tone sounded from his pocket, he reached over to pick it up. Only glancing at the caller id before pushing the talk button. "Yo Demyx, what's up?"

The blond watched with mild interest as the red head chatted away into the mobile.

"Big emergency? It's not poker again is it?" he chuckled as he glanced at the blond who was folding his arms and smirking at him. "Yeah, ok. I'll be there a.s.a.p." he hung up and placed his phone back into his pocket. "Well…big emergency, gotta help Demyx. Looks like homework's gonna be put on hold for a while." He reasoned as he scratched the corner of his mouth.

"You better do it when you _do_ get home." He warned.

"I will, I will. Don't worry about that Roxy." He smirked again.

Roxas smiled and waved goodbye as the red head closed the door to his car, started the engine and drove off. When the red head was gone and out of sight, he let out an exasperated sigh before joining where his brother and parents were. But his pastor motioned for him. "Roxas, if I may have a word with you?"

"Yes? Is there something wrong?" he asked politely.

"No, no. Nothing like that. I was just wondering," he paused. "What are your intentions of bringing your friend over?"

"What do you mean?" he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"What are you trying to accomplish by bringing your friend over?"

"I...don't quite understand." His voice was filled with uncertainty.

"Your friend, he's not really who I'd expect you to," he paused again, trying to find the right words. "Hang out with."

"That's what my other friends say," he laughed, "but he's really a nice person once you get to know him."

"Yes, yes. I'm quite sure of that. But maybe, without really knowing, you're trying to change him."

"Ch-change him? Why should I?" he felt like he was being interrogated, and couldn't help but suddenly feel insecure. 'Why is Geoff asking me these questions?'

"Maybe you should ask yourself that question." He patted the blond on the shoulder and walked off to another couple of the church, feeling a bewildered Roxas standing close by, from where his parents were and he could just vaguely pick up their conversation.

"-like to go now?" their mother asked.

"I don't know. Where do you want to go?" Sora asked as he balanced himself on one leg.

The blond came out of his trance and chose to ignore the conversation he just had with the pastor. 'Don't know, don't care…' he tried to convince himself as he walked closer to his family.

"Why don't we return home?" their father suggested. "I've still got some work at the office to do, not much left, but it'll be a hassle if I leave it till tomorrow."

"You must do what you have to do dear." She smiled serenely as she spoke.

"Then it's settled." He returned the smile and led her towards the car. "Let's go home."

Sora skipped along after them while Roxas strayed back a little bit, thinking back to the midnight conversation he heard not too long ago. 'It's probably just my imagination then.' He concluded and sighed in relief before jogging to catch up.

* * *

"Yo Demyx, what's the big 'emergency'?" a certain red head quoted in a mocking voice.

"It's not really a big emergency, I just need to move the piano into the other room." He grinned as he widened the door for the red head to enter.

"Ok then." He scuffed his shoes on the welcoming mat and kicked it off before heading in. "Why didn't you ask Zexion instead?"

"I would, but he's at work." The blond smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Oh right, so I'm plan B eh?" he smirked, "Anyways, move the piano into the what room now?" he asked as he quirked up an eyebrow quizzically.

"Move the piano from the back room into the living room. It's really cold in there and I reckon it's not very good for the piano to be left out back." He reasoned as he walked off, not waiting for Axel to follow.

"Ok, why did you put it out back in the first place?"

"Well, we had thought it was a good spot, you know, for musical purposes, but we ended up using it as a storage room instead." He laughed as he scratched the back of his head as he opened the door, letting in a breeze of cold air.

"I guess that makes sense." He held back a shiver and wondered where that wind came from. "Dude…why is it so cold in here? It's like a winter land…" he rubbed together his arms in an effort to keep warm.

"Well, the sun rises on that side of the house," he pointed away towards the front of the house. "And the sun sets on this side of the house, and the trees in our backyard blocks out most of the warmth." He reasoned with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Huh…well that sucks." He rolled his eyes as he approached the end of the piano and readied himself to lift it. "So, are you helping or not?!" he asked as he held onto either sides of the instrument.

"Coming, coming." He laughed and stood on the other side. "On the count of three."

"Right, right. One." He started.

"Two."

"Three!" they both heaved the piano up and slowly rolled it towards the door.

"Pivot, pivot!!" Demyx cried out as he tried to twist it to the side to allow Axel to lead the way. "I said PIVOT!!!"

"What the fu-?! Pivot to where?!"

"Follow my damn lead!" he shouted as he tried to maintain the grip on the piano which was growing increasingly hard with his palms and fingers going sweaty.

"Oh for fuck's sake." He cursed as he dropped a good fifty percent of the weight to get a feel of where to go and finally got it out the door.

Just as he turned into the living room, he crashed into the corner and tried to move out of the way, but Demyx kept on pushing the piano and accidentally crushed Axel's shoulder and arm. "My fucking arm is stuck!!"

"Oh shit." He tried to reverse, which proved to be a very difficult task because of his horrible finger strength plus sweatiness. Then he decided to go over to Axel's side to push it away. "You ok?"

"Yeah, lemme get a breather." He panted as he massaged his arm. "I'm gonna be feeling that tomorrow."

The blond chuckled and leaned on the piano, trying to wipe off the sweat from his hands onto his jeans.

"Where's the piano going?" Axel asked as he rotated his arm around to relieve a bit of tension.

"Over there, behind the couch. I already moved it out of the way." He spoke as he pointed to the empty spot behind where the couch previously occupied.

"Oh, ok then." He shrugged and got back in position. "Ready?"

"You sure? Don't you wanna rest a bit more?" he asked worriedly.

"Nah, the sooner we get this done, the better." He smirked and started counting before the blond got into position. "One, two."

"Wait, wait, hold up a sec." he rushed to his side and stuck his tongue out. "Ok, start again. One."

"Two."

"Three!" again, they both heaved the piano up and rolled it towards the designated area with Axel in the lead and Demyx providing the push.

When they finally got it to the right spot, they left it as it is and collapsed on the couch, panting and sweating slightly. "Damn…I need to get some muscles." Axel laughed while the blond could only manage a chuckle.

"Yeah, me too. But it's probably a little too late now."

"Hmm, maybe. Give yourself a couple of years of intense training, and you'll be buff in no time." He laughed even more when the blond gave him a repulsed look.

"Oh hell no…I don't wanna look buff…They're ugly looking." After taking another few deep breaths, he stood up and headed for the door. "I'm going for a smoke. You coming?"

"No thanks, don't wanna end up going into relapse." He waved his hand back and forth.

"Ok then." He shrugged and opened the door but did a double take. "Wait, hold on a second…Since when did you quit smoking?"

"Er…" he rubbed the back of his neck, slightly grossed out by the wetness. "Only just recently."

"Huh…" he scoffed lightly, "Finding it hard?" he closed the door and hopped back on the couch.

"Not if I find something to busy myself with." He shrugged his shoulders and licked his dry lips.

"Well…Zexion _did_ mention something about asking me to quit…" he talked to himself, "Anyways, I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you decided to quit for Roxas." He folded his arms and nudged the red head with the elbow while smirking.

"That obvious?" he quirked up an eyebrow in surprise.

"Well," he started in an all-knowing voice. "You've been hanging around him a lot, like seriously sticking to him like glue." He pointed out while the red head scowled slightly. "And then you took him out to that concert and probably out to eat after that." He added again and the scowl on Axel face grew worse. "And I bet you did something special yesterday, because when I met up with you later, you were all smiles." He nodded as he spoke, proud that he managed to deduce that much information without asking.

The red head smacked his forehead in exasperation and sighed. "Wow…that obvious huh?"

The blond merely grinned as he watched the red head pout slightly.

"What happened to me being mysterious?" he asked himself, "I lost it all to this kid."

"You like him don't you?"

"Wha? Like him? No! Of course I don't!" he denied, despite receiving looks of disbelief from the blond. "I mean, he's straight! Of course I don't like him!!" he sputtered out as he continued to deny, "I mean, I _can't_!! It's not like we could date or anything, I mean like…" he sighed, "Yeah…I like him…" he finally gave in.

"I knew it!!!" he gave himself a hearty pat on the back. "Hey, come on. _I_ was straight. Now I'm going out with Zexion!! There's a chance for you too!!" he tried to cheer up Axel.

"Don't get my hopes up." He ran his fingers through his red mane. "I gotta go, still got my homework to do."

"Art?"

"No, English."

"Oooh, you're gonna be in big trouble." He spoke in a sing song voice. "Trouble with a big T!"

"It's better said if it's trouble with a _capital_ T, idiot." He smirked as he tugged his shoes on and left the house. "See ya Monday."

"Yup, yup. That is, if you're not dead."

"Nothing can kill me." Then he walked towards his car with a maniacal laughed that even made the blond shiver slightly.

"Woah…that'll be good for Halloween." He commented as he closed the door.

* * *

_Roxas didn't know when he fell asleep, in fact, he couldn't recall if he fell asleep in the car or on the sofa or on his bed._

_He gripped his chin in thought and took a deep breath._

_Once again, he was back in the world of darkness, with no memory of how he got there or what prerequisites were fulfilled in order to get there._

'_Even in sleep, I can't rest.' He thought to himself as he sighed. 'That's actually pretty poetic.' He nodded his head and took a seat on the floor. 'In an emo kind of way…' he allowed himself to fall back so he could lie down._

"_It's not fair…" he spoke out softly as he closed his eyes, determined to get a wink of sleep._

'_Nothing is ever fair, Roxas.'_

_The blond didn't bother to open his eyes, he knew who was speaking but at the same time, he didn't know. He was a little confused, if not a lot._

"_Yeah, I guess."_

_There was a short moment of silence, and the blond let out another sigh. _

"You like him don't you?"

"_What are you on about this time?" he spoke with a slight chuckle._

'_Hmm? I honestly have no idea what _you're_ on about.' Roxas could almost imagine the quirk of the eyebrow from the voice._

"Wha? Like him?"

"_Like who?" he sat up from his spot and stared at the 'sky'._

'_Say what?'_

"_Stop playing dumb, I _know_ it was you talking." He scoffed and moved to stand up._

'_Seriously…I think you need to get your head checked.'_

"_Then who's talking?"_

'_Only voices I hear are yours and mine. Nobody else's.'_

"_This is really starting to get on my nerves." He folded his arms and started tapping his shoe on the ground._

'_Then maybe you should wake up and stop snoozing your day away.'_

"_Well it's not like I have anything _better_ to do." He scoffed again and rolled it eyes._

'_Then stop getting angry at me for no reason. You're supposed to be helping me.'_

"_You're not even telling me what you need help with."_

'_That's because I-don't-know!!' there was a slight pause in each word for the last three words._

"_How can you _not_ know?! That's impossible!!"_

'_Not if you have something called memory loss. Then it'll make sense.'_

"_So what? You have memory loss?" he asked as he rolled his eyes, feeling his temper boiling to the peak._

'_Forget it, you and I both can't handle this. I mean, obviously _you_ can't.'_

"_Hey! I'm not the one here 'pretending' to have amnesia." He quoted in a voice of mockery._

_He felt himself being pulled away, he didn't know why but it felt as though someone had a hold on his arm and he couldn't help but follow the lead._

'_Goodbye…'_

"

* * *

Only to be awoken from his slumber. "Sorry Rox, if you wanna sleep more, go sleep on your bed instead of the car." The disturber of his nap laughed at him. "Dad needs to use it." Bleary blue eyes met another pair of identical but vibrant blue eyes.

"Huh?" he replied intelligently as he felt his brother pulling him out of the car.

"Come on, come on! You're not light you know?" he continued to laugh as he dragged his blond counterpart out of the car towards the house before calling out to the older man who sat in the driver's seat of the vehicle. "Bye dad!! See you soon!!" he waved as he gently led Roxas into the house.

The blond yawned and rubbed the sleep away from his eyes. "When did I fall asleep?" he asked tiredly.

"Dunno, probably five minutes into the drive back home." He grinned as he kicked off his shoes and waited for his brother.

"Oh, ok then." He slipped his shoes off and slowly trudged up the stairs, while yawning in the process. Sora followed close behind to make sure Roxas doesn't trip over and hurt himself before he gets to his room.

"You were mumbling in your sleep." He spoke quietly.

"I was?"

"Yeah, you sounded kind of angry." He commented with a worried look as he watched his brother reached out for his door handle.

"Oh, I don't remember much of it.", which was partially true, he could hardly recall the events that happened in his dream. Especially _those_ dreams, but he could remember whatever emotions were left behind. Like the feeling of fear, or anger, sometimes even anxiety.

"You probably need to catch up on some sleep eh?" he grinned as he stood with his back to his own door.

"Yeah." He smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "I guess I'll take a nap. Goodnight." He stepped inside and yawned one more time.

"Goodnight." He made sure the door was closed before retreating to his own room.

After closing the door, the blond trudged towards his bed and sat down on it, unsure if he should change into his pajamas or stayed in his outside clothes. Eventually, he decided to just snooze in whatever he was wearing now.

As he laid on his bed, not bothering to pull the blanket over him to keep himself warm, his mind kept wandering back to that dream.

'Will he still be there next time?'

Slowly he closed his eyes, and when sleep finally claimed him, he didn't find himself in the land of darkness.

* * *

Monday came around faster than you could say Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious…Yes, that's a big mouthful and the authoress is more than surprised that the word is actually in the computer dictionary. "Holy shit?"

But she digressed and the story will return.

Roxas didn't meet up with the red head first thing in the morning, which is fairly unusual. Considering that the red head had always met up with the blond at his locker and sometimes with a cheap hot cup of coffee in hand.

A little disappointed, but undaunted, he decided that he'll probably end up finding him in their math's room.

And when he entered the classroom, he disappointed himself once again when the red head was no where in sight. He scowled as he walked up to his seat, dumped his bag on top of the table and waited for the day to start. Which didn't take long because the bell rang soon after and students started piling in.

After a majority of the students were accounted for, Axel decided to show his face. His blood shot eyes plus the extra baggage under them.

"Er…did you get run over this morning or something?" the blond commented as he eyed the yawning red head who took his usual seat by the blond.

"I kind of…pulled an all nighter for our English homework." He spoke as he took a big gulp of coffee that he came in with.

"Did you have a lot of trouble with it?"

"Not really…I just got distracted half of the time." He reasoned as he finished his cup of coffee and threw it into the rubbish bin by the teacher's desk.

"With what?" he raised an eyebrow.

"My brother had a party in the apartment and it was seriously wild…They wouldn't shut up." He thumped his head on the desk. "They just kept on coming into my room, told me to ditch the homework and 'party'." He quoted.

"Wow, I'm proud of you Axel." He gave the red head a pat on the back. "You put school as your first priority." He smiled.

'Yeah…if it weren't for you, I would've partied my ass off and taken the whole of Monday off too.' He thought to himself.

"If you want, I can help read through your essay." He offered. "It's always good to get a second opinion."

"Really?" he straightened his back a little, 'Nah...wouldn't miss Monday for the world.' he grinned.

"Yup! People can help point out the mistakes you wouldn't notice yourself." He spoke as he started to take out his books and pens for the class.

"Cool." He smiled a little as he rested his chin on the desk. "You reckon Luxord would lemme sleep for a while?"

"I don't think so Axel." Another voice of authority spoke.

"Well…speak of the devil." The red head smirked as he sat up straight and swung his arm over the back of the chair.

"But maybe I'll let this one time slide, if you'll catch up to today's lesson with Roxas." He rubbed the hairs on his chin with a conniving expression.

"What's the catch?" he raised in eyebrow in question, looking very doubtful about his sudden generosity.

"No catch, just me being charitable." He raised both arms in defense.

Axel snorted but decided to take full advantage of it. "Well, if you say I can, then I guess I'm gonna snooze." He thumped his head on the desk again.

"Wait, don't I get a say in this?" he stared back and forth the older man and the now sleeping red head beside him.

"Apparently not." Luxord grinned as he moved to his desk and pulled out the roll book.

Roxas rolled his eyes and sighed. Feeling very cheated out of something that had something to do with him but he had absolutely no say in it what so ever. But he shrugged his shoulders and decided to let it go.

For the next period however, Vexen wasn't as lenient as Luxord was and thumped Axel on the head with his clipboard.

"Pay attention to my lessons Axel, I won't repeat myself more than once." He warned as the red head glared at him and as the class snickered at the both of them.

Even Roxas snickered a bit and tried to snuff it out when the red head turned to pout at him. The blond bit the bottom of his lip in an attempt to stop himself from laughing at the red head's misfortune as he tried to work on the current equation.

"Now class, turn to page 57 and follow the directions." Vexen spoke as he looked at his clipboard.

The blond turned to the said page and looked at the practical assignment. "I'll get the beakers and chemicals while you get the err…" he paused. "On second thought, maybe you should get the er…wait, wait. I don't know which is worse. You with chemicals, or you with the bunsen burner." He furrowed his eyebrows in thought.

"I'm a fire starter." He smirked as he nodded his head in anticipation for flames and flammable objects.

"That's what I'm worried about."

* * *

I had writer's block halfway through this chapter, which really sucks…Lol… I CURSE MYSELF!!!! 


	45. Talk about Drama with a Capital D

Damn…what takes me three days to write up, takes you less than ten minutes to finish reading. That's just unfair!!! READ SLOWER!!! Lol.

**Chainxofxmemories** – Lols, yes poor Roxas. Having to put up with Axel's obsession with fire.  
**WGreyB** – Ah, you can't see where it's going yet, but I certainly can. Muahaha. Lols.  
**mornir-brightflame** – But it's true! I really _was_ like 'holy shit'. Lol, I was off by just one letter.  
**Ranchdressing** – It was more embarrassing than it was funny. Damn…my face is burning just thinking about it.  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Yeah! It shocked me too! That's why I digressed a bit in the last chapter. Lols.  
**Aindel S. Druida** – Lols, sorry I'll remember to be more um…what's that word…narrative (?) next time. And I praise you for your knowledge behind spell checks, I never think too deeply about those annoying things, although they sometimes frustrate me when they don't pick up my grammar mistakes. Damn…  
**delayed-reaction** – Dawww, I know eh? Lol, FINALLY!  
**Soraslilangel** – Lols, calm down my friend. He's not gonna be mutilated. Lols.  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Thank gourd…I'm not losing you as a reviewer. Who knows what I'll do if more people decided to leave…What a bugger that would be.  
**Honto.Kawaii.Neko-chan** – AkuRoku…(drool) Hoping for some action? Maybe, _just_ maybe, you'll get lucky in this chapter. Lol, although I cannot guarantee much.  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** –Shh, don't say that word!! It's a secret, lols.  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Yeah, I gotta admit that it _was_ a cute chapter too. Lols, I liked the pivoting part. Lols.  
**Hypothetical.Wonder** – Lols, glad it made your day. I found Axel's short moment of denial hilarious.  
**.windsinger.windpainter.** – Are Hayner and Roxas ever gonna make up? Oh ho, ho, ho. Just wait and see my friend.  
**pride1289** – Lols, I'm sorry what? It's past midnight, and I did not get a word you just said. Sorry bro. Lol.  
**Launch shinra** – The wheels of time are finally moving…Gosh darn it…Guh…And that movie? Yeah, bad mental image there…  
**Shadoom** – Lols, welcome back. I have no idea if it's shitaki or shitake, I hear it said as shitaki more often than shitake…Um…yeah…  
**astra.zox.it.ee** – Lols, and for those who wait, their patience is rewarded!

HuRk! 600 reviews…damn, I love you all!

* * *

"Huh…" a certain red head scratched his cheek as he looked to the empty desks beside him. "I wonder where Demyx and Zexion are…They're not normally late." He yawned and rested his chin on the table.

"Maybe they got caught up in third period?" a blond reasoned as he handed in his essay to the girl who was collecting them.

Axel merely scoffed as he held up the pieces of papers to the girl before yawning once more. "I need more sleep."

"You should get to bed earlier tonight then. If you're tired enough, maybe you'll go straight to sleep." He offered as he started jotting down words on the board for their next assignment.

"No can do, I've got a late night shift to do at work." He yawned again and sighed, "Geez…will the homework never stop?" he spoke sarcastically as he rolled his eyes, not bothering to take down notes.

"You're working…on a school night?" he stared at the red head with a look of disbelief.

"I normally wouldn't, but it was an emergency and they're short on staff!" he reasoned as he tried to avoid that stare. "Come on, stop giving me that look."

"Where do you work?" he asked casually as he turned back to copy down more notes.

"Somewhere in the city."

"Mmhmm." He nodded his head, "Where in the city."

"You wouldn't know where." He waved the comment off and tried to change the subject, "I wonder what's our next topic…"

"You don't want me to know where you work?" he asked as he looked up at the whiteboard then back to his book.

"It's not like you can get in anyways."

"I know, but I'm just curious." He shrugged as he turned to stare at the red head.

"You wouldn't like it if I told you." Axel warned.

"Try me."

Somewhat unwilling to tell the blond, he clicked his tongue and sighed. "I work in a bar…"

"A bar…"

"Yes, a bar. I walk around waiting the tables. There, you happy?"

"But you're under-aged…"

"I _work_ in a bar, doesn't mean I _sell_ alcohol."

"Oh true." He nodded his head and jutted out his lower lip, "I guess, I mean, fifteen _is_ the legal working age."

"Good thing too, I started working as soon as I was allowed." He sighed and rested his chin on the table.

Curiosity getting the best of him, he just had to ask why.

"Why you ask? Hmm…" Axel lifted his head from the table and leaned back on the chair. "There are a lot of reasons why, but I'll just tell you one of them."

Roxas nodded as a sign for the red head to continue.

"Well…I wanted to have the freedom to spend on whatever I want." He smirked as he turned to the blond whose face fell.

"That's it? You just wanted some spending money?" he asked incredulously.

"Yup! That's what most people do now-a-days." He reasoned as he leaned on the table with one arm and rested his cheek on his open palm.

"Oh, yeah I suppose." Roxas turned to face the front and sighed slightly. For some reason, he had expected to hear something different than what the red head had said. But it wasn't his business and he didn't have a right to ask. 'We've only been friends for a week anyways.' He reasoned with a sad smile.

As Ms. Gainsborough continued to write on the whiteboard, she had a cheerful smile on her face. "Our next subject is something much more exciting!" She spoke enthusiastically while a good half of the class groaned. "We'll be doing speeches! Isn't that great?" she turned around and clapped her hands together while a few students smiled a little awkwardly.

"Exciting? Yeah right…" a boy with messy black hair snorted quietly to his ginger haired friend who sat beside him.

"Your speeches must be at least one minute long and no less! It's preferable if it's kept under five minutes as well." she warned as she took out a whiteboard marker and started to write delicately on the board. "You can talk about whatever you want, be it an anecdote, a creative story, your personal opinion on a book or movie, even a monologue from your favorite character from your favorite book! The choices are endless."

"She sounds a lot more into it than we are." A girl crossed one leg over the other and checked her manicured nails. "I'm not a big fan of talking to random people." She sighed nonchalantly as she ran her fingers through her long, blonde hair.

At the back of the class, Axel had his head on the desk and was moaning away. "It's never-ending, never-ending." He repeated like a mantra while Roxas shook his head at Axel as he continued to write down notes.

"Come on, speeches aren't so bad." Roxas offered as he copied down notes and suggestions on the board that their teacher had written down.

"Yeah…right." The red head snorted as he lifted his head and rested his chin on the table. "I don't like speeches…I think I skipped out on it last year." The red head reminisced as he stared at the ceiling. "Probably how I ended up repeating the whole year again."

Roxas laughed but snuffed it out, he covered his mouth to make it seem like a horrible cough.

"You just laughed at me didn't you?"

"No idea what you're talking about Axel." The blond smiled innocently and went back to writing whatever's on the board.

"Yes, you did." He sneered and leaned in menacingly on the blond who continued to act like it never happened. "I heard it. I _heard_ it." He sneered as he pointed at the blond.

"Maybe it's your imagination?" he reasoned as he glanced up at the board then back down to his book.

"Nuh-uh. Don't turn this around on me." He sat up straight and poked himself on the chest with his thumb. "And don't go acting all innocent either!" he smacked the blond on the head and realized his mistake. He froze in terror.

"You…did _not_…just hit me on the head." He growled out as he slowly turned his head to Axel.

"Err…Ehehe…" his laugh was almost an octave higher than normal. "I'm really, _really_ sorry." He held up his hands in defense all the while smiling nervously.

"Sorry ain't gonna cut it."

"What about a cutting knife?" he tried to joke but when the blond didn't as so much twitch, he immediately went to plan B, "I'm extremely, sincerely, genuinely, truly, really, very sorry!! Please forgive me!!" he clapped his hands together and bowed his head while shutting his eyes tight.

"There's only one thing that you can do that will make me forgive you."

"Only one?" he sounded hopeful, maybe a little _too_ hopeful.

"Well…" he had a thoughtful look on his face as he gripped his chin, "I've got a few but there's only one that sticks out the best." He smirked.

"No…Come on Roxas…that place gives me the creeps!!" he begged, "I'll do anything else. Anything else!!" he repeated but when he noticed that the blond wasn't gonna give up without a fight, he sighed in defeat. "Ok fine…" he deflated while the blond seem to have brightened up. "But I'm telling you, I don't feel like I belong there." He warned.

"Maybe you should give it some time?" he suggested. "They seem to like you."

"They're trying to convert me! Just like what you're doing!!" he cried out as he pointed at the blond.

This seem to have struck a nerve in the blond and he suddenly looked as though he got caught red handed doing something he's not suppose to.

"_But maybe, without really knowing, you're trying to change him."_

"You're right. I'm sorry. You don't have to come anymore." The blond quickly changed his mind and went back to work.

Very aware of the sudden mood change, Axel couldn't help but feel very worried. "Hey, hey. What's up?" he asked, his voice filled with genuine concern.

He seemed distracted, his pen lying motionless in his fingers, blue eyes unfocused on the current page he was on. His features calm, yet at the same time, there was a storm brewing inside of him.

"Roxas?" the red head didn't know what to do, he wanted to reach out to him, but he was afraid that if he touched him, the blond would crumble. This uncertainty and hesitation was something new to the red head. He hadn't felt this way in such a long time, he wasn't sure what to do.

"Roxas." Axel repeated, his voice a little stronger but still filled with a small degree of uncertainty.

But the blond was in a world of his own, hearing nothing but his own thoughts.

'Maybe…I _am_ trying to change him…' he raised his eyes slightly, 'Because…I want to be friends with Hayner and the others again.' He paused and glanced at his 'former' best friend not two rows in front of him. 'And maybe because, I want them to like Axel too.' He shifted his eyes to the red head who he has never seen so worried before. 'That's probably why…' he shifted his eyes back to the object in front of him. 'Then I guess it _is_ true…' he furrowed his eyebrows in understanding. 'Without really knowing…I _am_ trying to change him.' He smiled ruefully as he rested his forehead on the table.

The red head slowly and tentatively placed a hand on the blonds' shoulder. "Roxas, talk to me. Say something." He begged.

"Axel…?" his voice so quiet and forlorn. "I'm sorry."

The abrupt apology stunned the red head into silence. It was a full minute later when he realized it was his turn to say something that he hastily cleared his throat and asked, "What for?"

The blond gave a barely visible shrug, "I don't know."

Smiling awkwardly, he kept a firm hold onto Roxas' shoulder, "You gotta tell me what you're sorry for, so I'll know what to forgive you for." He reasoned.

There was a pause, a fairly long pause before he replied, "For forcing you into doing something you don't want to do."

'So that's what it's all about…talk about drama.' Axel couldn't help but chuckle, "It's not that I _didn't_ want to do it. I was just complaining for the sake of complaining. That's what friendship is all about right?"

Turning his head to the side so that his cheek was in contact with the table, he looked at the red head with bothered blue eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah, of course! I may complain all the time, but that's really only because I really like you." He smiled and gave the blond a pat on the back. "Don't think too much into it ok?"

He straightened his back while still keeping his eyes on Axel. "Ok." He nodded and gave a small smile.

"Geez," he rolled his eyes. "And you call _me_ a drama queen." He laughed, "I think you deserve an award or something, something." He shook his head and ripped a piece of paper from Roxas' book, earning him a cry of outrage from the blond. "Hey!!" which he ignored and started scribbling on the piece of paper.

Roxas merely rolled his eyes but couldn't suppress the curiosity brewing inside of him. He watched with mild interest as the red head wrote feverishly on the paper with furrowed eyebrows while sticking out his tongue from one corner of his mouth.

Once he was done with it, he held it up and gave a curt nod before presenting it to the blond. "Here. I award you with 'the most dramatic performance' ever seen. Oh wait, wait. I forgot to sign in." he started to scribble down on a corner of the paper and gave it back. "Ta-da! Now it's official."

The blond took the paper and read it out loud, "Drama queen award…Most dramatic-Axel!!" he cried out while holding out the paper and pointing to a tiny line of handwriting.

"Damn, you saw that?" he started laughing.

"Duh, it's not _that_ small." He smacked the red head on the arm and harshly whispered out, "AKA, Most dramatic emo ever seen?" he repeated.

"It's true!!" he laughed even harder before whispering out the next bit, "You were being all emo and shit."

"Hey, I was confused and worried and anxious ok? It's not like…it was a planned script or anything." He reasoned with a huff.

"How would _I_ know?" he offered with a smile while the blond merely scoffed and went back to concentrating on school.

Suddenly a burst of noise erupted from the front of the room and all eyes turned to the source.

There, standing in all his emo-glory, was Demyx with a black guitar bag strapped to his back with his arms on his hips and a wide grin on his face. "The Rocker has arrived." He bowed dramatically and waltzed up to the teacher with a pink slip.

A slate haired boy followed closed behind, although he offered no comment, no introduction and no bowing, he still offered his own slip and a couple of other papers to the teacher before walking to the back of the room towards his own seat.

"Sorry we're late Miss. We were still in the music room." The dirty haired blond reasoned with a carefree smile as he started to tap a rhythmic tune with his shoes on the floor.

"That's fine, as long as you have a slip with you." she smiled in return and motioned for his to take his seat. "Oh wait, do you have your essay too?"

"Oh! Right, right!!" he swung his guitar case around and unzipped a small pouch on the side of it to produce a couple of slightly wrinkled pieces of paper before handing it to her. "Sorry about the horrible state that it's in." he apologized with a sheepish grin.

"It's alright, as long as I can read it. We're starting a new assignment, so I hope you're ready." She laughed at the dumbfounded reaction she received from the blond.

"Another assignment? You're kidding!!!" he cried out.

"I kid you not, now hop back to your seat." She shooed him away and returned to writing out on the board.

Demyx' mood was somewhat sour as he walked towards the back, but it slowly ebbed away as he got closer. And suddenly, he started hopping and jumping and eventually he landed in front of the smaller blond with a large grin on his face. "Oh my god, you will _not_ believe what Zexion got me." A dirty haired blond could barely contain his excitement as he barged into the class with the said person in tow.

"What?" Roxas asked as he started to feel the jitters that the other blond was giving out.

"He gave it to me during music period!! Come on, guess, guess!!" he jumped up and down as he waited.

"A err…" he looked around the room for a hint and eventually stared at Axel who only offered a shrug. "He got you a present?" he suggested lamely.

"No." he shook his head furiously, "Something better! Keep guessing!!" he cried out impatiently.

"I don't know!!" he replied hastily after being pressured. "Err…a music book??"

"No!! BETTER!!!" Demyx started flapping his arms like a crazy mad man while grinning like an idiot. The slate haired boy rolled his eyes at the blonds' behavior but couldn't suppress the small smile on his lips.

"We give up, now tell us." Axel yawned as he rested his cheek on his palm with his elbow on the desk.

"A Spanish guitar!!" he cried out happily as he whipped out the black guitar case, unzipped it like there was no tomorrow and brought out a blue painted instrument. "Isn't it _beautiful_?" he spoke as he gently caressed it.

"Why is it blue?" Roxas asked as he stood up to get a better view of it.

"Because blue is my favorite color."

"What's the difference between a normal guitar and a Spanish one?"

"A Spanish one is much smaller, I'll compare it with you one day." He explained as he plucked a couple of strings to form a chord.

The shorter blond nodded at the new bit of information and indeed _did _notice the size variance.

"Put away your lovely guitar Demyx, its English class, not music." She smiled apologetically, "But don't worry, class should be over soon."

"Ok!" he smiled as he gently placed the blue guitar back into the black case and zipped it closed like he was tucking it into sleep. "Goodnight my little precious." He smiled happily as he walked around Roxas' desk and sat on his own chair before whistling out a tune.

Axel yawned at the event as though it was a common occurrence while Roxas couldn't help but still feel the jitters inside of him. 'I wanna play it…' he thought to himself as he eyed the instrument. "Hey Axel, you play the guitar, is it hard?" he asked suddenly.

"Huh?" he stopped in the middle of another yawn and scratched the back of his head. "Nah." He sniffed. "It's not hard, do you wanna try it or something?"

The blond nodded vigorously, forgetting all about class and thinking of nothing but guitar lessons. "I've wanted to play guitar and drums before, but they're quite expensive and I don't think my parents would like it."

"Ah, so you valiantly sacrificed your enjoyment for the approval of your parents." He nodded knowingly and swung an arm around the blonds' shoulder. "Here's the deal." He cleared his throat, ignoring the frown appearing on Roxas' pretty face. "I'll teach you how to play the guitar _if_ you let me not go to church."

"No deal." He folded his arms and turned his head away.

"What? You refuse my deal?" he held a hand over his heart with a look of shock. "You're giving up the chance of learning guitar just so you could drag me to church?"

"I've lived without playing it for this long, what's another few years or so." He reasoned, "And besides, if _you_ don't go to church with me, then _I'll_ refuse to forgive you for that hit you gave me not ten minutes ago."

"Hey…that sucks." His mood deflated suddenly.

"That's life, live with it." Roxas laughed as he gave the red head a light kick on the shin.

"Ok fine, new deal. I'll teach you how to play the guitar _if_ you let me," while he paused, there were plenty of other things he wanted to say, but he couldn't say, such as 'kiss you, date you, stay with you forever because I feel like we belong together', but he had to smother those thoughts, "err…if you help me with the speech." He finished lamely. 'Not what I wanted, but it's close enough…'

"Sure. I can do that." He nodded and flipped to a new page of his book. "First step, what is the topic of your speech?"

* * *

We find the group back under the same tree, in the same spot, at the same time, although on a different day.

Somehow, Roxas was suckered into trading his lunch for Axel's lunch. Well, not really, Roxas had the better end of the deal, or so he thought.

"Seriously, this is good." The red head muffled out as he bit into the sandwich with his mouth still half full.

"If you like it so much, you can get the roast beef from the deli section of the supermarket." He suggested as he picked up a small piece of sushi with a pair of chopsticks. "It's easy to make."

"Then can you make it for me?" his eyes seem to glitter as he turned to the blond.

"No, make it yourself." He replied without even looking at the red head.

"Aww but Roxy!" he groaned while Roxas continued to ignore him as he ate another piece of sushi. "Come on, be a pal." He nudged the blond.

"Don't be lazy. It only takes 5 minutes max."

"Then _you_ can make it for me. Like you said, it only takes 5 minutes max." he smiled as he continued to bargain with the blond as he finished the rest of his sandwich.

"I'm not your mother." He quirked up an eyebrow at the red head.

"If you were, I'd be seriously freaked…" Axel spoke while Demyx started laughing uncontrollably.

"Dude…that _would_ be freaky." His laughter turned into a cackle. "I mean like, Axel goes up to Roxas and goes, 'Hi ma.' And Roxas would be like, 'Hi dear, have you finished your homework yet?' and then he would give you a snack to eat." As Demyx spoke, the look of disbelief and shock was on almost everybody's faces. Not so much Zexion, although he did look somewhat disturbed while Xigbar was laughing his little ass off as Sai'x stared at the sky muttering words to himself.

"Ok, whatever you're taking, I suggest you stop." Axel spoke as he raised his eyebrows, "Or if you're not taking anything, maybe you should get prescriptions…" he smirked as the taller blond suddenly stopped laughing.

"Man, why do you wanna go ruin my fun like that?" he pouted as he folded his arms.

"Heh. Anyways." he quickly changed the subject but was unable to stifle back a yawn. "Damn, I'm tired."

"Then take a nap, I'll wake you up when class is about to start." Roxas offered as he finished the last of his sushi lunch box, placed it to the side and held back a burp. "Excuse me."

"Good idea." He commended the blond, shuffled around so that his back was facing the side of Roxas before suddenly lying down on top of his legs. "Goodnight."

"Hey! Don't use my legs as a freakin' pillow." He cried out as he tried to shove the red head off.

"Aww, but it's so comfortable. Besides, I'm already here and I'm too lazy to move." He smirked as he stared up at the blond through half-lidded eyes, too tired to keep them fully opened.

"Geez, you're so unbelievable..." he rolled his eyes and glared half heartedly at the red head.

"I know." He smiled and closed his eyes, yawning and sighing before slowly drifting off to sleep.

Roxas considered giving Axel a hard shove so he would get off. It wasn't that the red head was heavy, it was more like he felt a little embarrassed about it. 'Well…it's just us here, so I guess there's no harm.' He reasoned as he looked around the area.

He saw Xigbar hanging upside down from a branch up the tree, grinning widely and chuckling to himself as he swung his ponytail around.

Beneath the tree was Larxene leaning on Marluxia as they held hands and exchanged quiet conversations with each other. He shyly turned away and watched Demyx chattering animatedly to the slate haired boy as he played a light tune on his new instrument.

Sitting on the edge of the shade but not exposed to the sun's rays, was Sai'x, who stared up at the sky where the moon was only half visible. The blue haired boy soon turned around and his golden eyes met with Roxas' blue.

Suddenly felt like he got caught staring, he smiled awkwardly and waved at him. Sai'x acknowledged the blond with a nod of his head before turning back to look at the moon.

Feeling the rush of the moment was gone, Roxas tilted his head slightly and peered behind the leaves, catching small glimpses of the moon.

He wondered why the blue haired boy was so fascinated by it, he truly wanted to know. And Axel's reason of 'because he's a werewolf' was not good enough to satiate his curiosity.

He decided to leave it for another time as he looked down at the sleeping red head. It's been roughly five minutes since Axel claimed his legs for a makeshift pillow and he still felt somewhat sour about it. But at the same time, he didn't mind so much.

Maybe because, he finally felt as though he belonged here.

'So this is what it feels like…To just sit back and really relax.' He thought to himself as he used his hands to support his top weight. 'Nobody asking you what you want to do next, just minding your own business and well…relaxing.' He sighed and closed his eyes, feeling calm and enjoying the light breeze surrounding him.

"Roxas…" the red head muttered from his sleep.

The blond peered at Axel curiously and wondered what he was dreaming about. But eventually he brushed it off as weird and went back to his own thoughts.

'I never got to do this with Hayner and the gang,' he sighed contentedly as he stared at the tattoos on the red head's face. 'We're always moving around, doing this or doing that or something else.' Slowly, he raised his hand and gently touched the corners of the dark tattoos. 'But this…this is nice.' He smiled to himself and placed his hand back on the grass.

* * *

Damn, I forgot to post this last chapter, but I'm sure you all remember that little cut I had on one of my fingers that happened who knows how many weeks ago? Yeah, it happened again, only this time it was bloodier and worse. I felt incredibly faint during class and I wondered continuously if I could just ditch and go home. Lol, but I ended up staying regardless. 


	46. Speaking of which

I wish my writing was the 'shitz' you know? I mean, like, you read one page and you'll be like wow, something like that. But it's something you gotta work really hard for, either that or you're born with that natural talent. Sigh…

I must work hard!!! (Starts playing air guitar while listening to rock music)

**Soraslilangel** – Lols, a bar sounds like an awesome place for Axel to work in, in my personal opinion.  
**delayed-reaction** – I completely agree! Speeches give me the creeps man! I hate it when people actually stare at you and listening to your EVERY word…  
**Kev the She-Wolf** – Awww, thank you! A few people have been wondering just WHEN the romance will come in. Lols…  
**Honto.Kawaii.Neko-chan** – Lols, I almost, ALMOST, forgot what I wrote last chapter, so it took me like an actual minute to remember everything, but yes! I understand what you mean now. Lols.  
**.windsinger.windpainter.** – Aww! Thank you for saying so! Makes me feel so much better about myself. (Teehee) Is that laugh better? Lols.  
**pride1289** – Lols! BLACKMAIL MATERIAL!! Excellent…  
**soraXxXriku** – Lols, naughty, naughty. Going on the computer even though you're grounded. Lols.  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – I have fans? Oh my gosh, I have fans? _I_ have fans? I _have _fans?! I have _fans_?! Lols! I am so happy beyond belief!  
**WGreyB** – Oh, my finger is doing fine now. It just hurts a _tiny_ bit if I just press on it, but it's healing very nicely.  
**Launch shinra** – Lols, I think I'll pass on that movie opportunity. I'm learning guitar too, I know four chords! WOOT!  
**Shadoom** – Lols, fuzzy feeling that makes you glow? Awesomeness! You don't see that much.  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Ah, I don't even think he's on the denial part yet, still passing through the err…'no idea what's going on' stage. Lols.  
**blu blade** – Man, it was so weird! I cut my finger, and then I stared at it because it wasn't bleeding and I was thinking, 'Hmm, did I even cut-' and then I ran to the sink because the blood suddenly just started pouring out and I was like 'oh shit!?' Lols. It was a sight to behold…And, who knows what Axel is dreaming? Lols, he's so unpredictable sometimes.  
**Ranchdressing** – Aww, it's not that serious to merit me a trip to the doctors, just a erm…yeah, it's healing, so no worries there. Lols.  
**mornir-brightflame** – Lols, I saw the guitar in a shop before and I thought, hmm, Demyx would like that. Lols.  
**Hypothetical.Wonder** – Lols, the beginning of your review made me laugh, but I read the rest of your review and I got sad, because the happiness only lasted for you for about a day, which sucks.  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Lols, Demyx, always the quirky boy.  
**Tater Tots** – Aww, thank you! I found that the beginning sucked hard core, but I'm glad you like it.

* * *

"I can't believe you fell asleep!! You were _supposed_ to wake me up!" Axel cried out as he raced through the empty hallways towards their next class.

"Sorry! I don't even know how I fell asleep!!" he huffed as he chased after the red head.

"Man, I can only imagine what Xaldin is gonna make us do." His face faltered as he turned the corner. "Ten laps around the field for lateness…"

Roxas grumbled as he scolded himself for falling asleep as well.

"Well, whatever. What's done is done." The red head shrugged and smirked as he crashed through the doors of the gym locker room, stood in front of his locker and proceeded to strip down to his boxers.

"Do you think we'll end up getting detention?" the blond asked as he dumped his bag on the bench and started changing.

"Who knows, let's just hope that he's in a good mood today." He shrugged as he pulled on his shorts.

"Is he _ever_ in a good mood?"

Axel stopped mid way of pulling on his shirt, "Good point." He let out a huff of air and tugged his shoes on. "I can't be stuffed tying up my laces, are you done yet?"

"You're gonna end up tripping over." He spoke as he quickly pulled on his shoes and tied them up, deciding not to do a double knot.

"Bah, as if." He scoffed and stuffed his things in his locker and closed it. "Now hurry up. Don't wanna end up doing twenty laps."

"Are you kidding me?" he asked skeptically as he placed his own bag in the locker and followed the red head out.

"Who knows? One can only guess at this point." He chuckled as he paused at the door, looked around to make sure their teacher wasn't looking before joining in the sports activity.

They were playing basketball today.

"Ok good. Xaldin's distracted, let's get in before he notices us." Axel warned as he tiptoed across the gym, wary of where their teacher's eyes.

Unfortunately, not all goes according to plan.

"You're late Axel, Roxas." Xaldin spoke as he tapped on his clipboard, not even turning around to see them (more like Axel) in their 'sneaking' poses.

"Aw shoot." The red head cursed as he slumped his shoulders and walked towards the taller man with the blond in tow. "Yeah…err…I had a rough night, and ah…well, I fell asleep during lunch, and Roxas forgot to wake me up because he fell asleep too." He offered as he had the decency to look slightly abashed.

"Alright, just make sure you don't do it again." He nodded his head once and flipped to another page, writing down an 'L' beside both Roxas' and Axel's name.

"What? Is that it?" he cried out in shock. "No detentions, no running around the field, nothing?"

Xaldin raised an eyebrow at the red head. "Do you…_want_ to run around the field?" he asked warily, his voice slightly amused.

"Err no…it's just that…most of the time…you er…" he scratched the back of his head while Roxas smacked his forehead. "You err…make late people run around the field."

"That was for…cross country." He reasoned, still having a raised eyebrow at Axel.

"Oh…Oh! Oh right, right." He laughed awkwardly and shifted his weight on one foot to another repeatedly. "Right…" he finished lamely as looked away while the blond beside him rolled his eyes. "So…what team are we in?"

"There's team red and team blue. Take your pick." He pointed with his pen at the basket full of basketballs and colored bands. "Second part of the game is gonna start in five, so just sit down and wait a while."

"Oh…Kay." He slowly inched away from their teacher and walked over towards the spot where Xaldin had indicated. "Ok Rox, what team are you gonna be in?"

"I'll pick blue." He spoke as he selected the blue band and pulled it over his head so that it hung on one shoulder.

"Ok then, blue it is!" he smirked as he picked up the blue one as well.

Roxas rolled his eyes with a smirk on his face as he turned to watch the game. He sighed, "Man…I never really liked basketball."

"Why's that?" he asked as he sat himself down on the gym floor.

"I'm short…" he huffed as he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Height has nothing to do with skill." He noted with a wider smirk.

"Maybe not, but it's helpful." Roxas shrugged as he sat down by the red head.

"True." He chuckled and rested his cheek on his open palm while his elbow was on his knee. "Xaldin's pretty nice today." He changed the subject as he watched a short sandy haired boy in the blue team do a slam dunk and started doing a victory dance, "Oh yeah, eat that!!"

"I've always thought he'd be a scary teacher, I mean…his side burns freak me out." Roxas shuddered.

"Yeah," he paused, then cried out, "Hey! What happened to your 'don't judge a book by its cover' thing?" he spoke out in a horrible imitation of the blonds' voice.

"First impressions??" Roxas shrugged and smiled weakly. "It's different for teachers!!" he reasoned.

"What a contradiction…" he shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I mean, if you think about it, he's just a middle aged guy going through his mid-life crisis with ridiculous side burns and dreadlocks that don't even look good on him." He reasoned all-knowingly.

"Er…right." He seemed somewhat skeptical.

"But behind that horrible hair-do and that jungle on his face, deep down, I'll bet he's a really nice, misunderstood guy." He nodded as he spoke, proud that he managed to figure it all out without the help of Roxas.

The blond merely looked away and sighed. "I'll bet." He spoke sarcastically.

It was then the whistle blew and the first game was over. "Alright, blue team wins 10 to 7." Xaldin called out as he checked his clipboard for the scores. "Tidus, you have to let the other people shoot in some hoops as well." He noted as he stared at the said person.

"Sorry sir, I won't hog it next time." He smiled apologetically as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Alright." He turned away from the class towards the red head and the blond. "You two! Get in the game."

Simultaneously, they jumped up from their seat on the floor and hurried towards their team.

"Sweet, we got the tall dude." Tidus smiled as he watched the two come over. "We are _so_ gonna kick red team's ass."

Roxas grumbled with a dead-panned look as he approached. "Just 5cm more, just gimme 5 more centimeters…" he held out his thumb and index finger with a space in between then sighed, "Wait, wait. Gimme 10cm! Just 10 is good enough."

"Aw come on Rox. I like ya the way you are." He smirked as he gave the said person a pat on the back while the blond merely snorted.

The whistle was blown one more time to gather everybody's attention, "Ok! I'm only gonna say this one more time. No rough housing, no ball throwing to the head or any parts of the body," Insert a few giggles from the girls here and the protection of their vital parts from some of the boys here, "and definitely no ball kicking! Disobey any of these simple rules and it's detention for you!" he picked up the basketball from the floor and looked around the class, when his eyes fell on a certain red head, he quickly added, "Or laps around the field, if you prefer."

Axel scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I'm never gonna live this down am I?" he asked rhetorically.

"Doesn't seem like it." Roxas answered anyway as he smirked and readied himself on the court.

"Ok, let's start the game, I want to go home." Xaldin sighed and held out the ball in one hand, somewhat patiently waiting for a member of each team to come up to the stand. "Come on, we don't have all day."

It was, of course predicted that Tidus would be the one to try to get the ball, and when Tidus went up, so did Seifer.

As soon as the two boys were ready, their teacher threw the ball up in the air and both of them jumped up in an attempt to claim it. Just barely missing it by an inch, Seifer scowled as he watched Tidus smack the ball towards a member of his team.

Axel quickly ran off, leaving the person who was supposed to be watching him in a sort of daze. He managed to get the ball, but just as he did a turn to dodge another player, he took a step and tripped over, "Agh!" but not before tossing the ball to the only person who he could see.

Roxas at a shock that Axel actually fell flat on his face and the fact the he had the ball in his hands, was unsure if he should help the red head or go for the hoop. He wasn't too far off but the other team was ganging up on him as well. So he did the most logical thing he could think of at the time.

He threw it up in the air in an attempt to make the score. It rebounded off the back board and unfortunately bounced off the ring into the hands of the opposing team.

'No time to feel sorry for myself.' he thought as he decided to let it go while he jogged towards the red head who was gently messaging his forehead.

"Hey, you ok?" he asked with a slight tilt of his head.

"Yeah…" he groaned, "You were right, I should've tied my laces." He berated himself as he continued to rub his forehead with his palm.

"Well, at least you know you were wrong, and that I was right." He smirked, "Trial and error, trial and error." He nodded his head as he spoke with a hint of self-righteousness while he placed his hands on his hips and smiled down at the red head.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get so high and mighty."

"I'm feeling pret-ty good right now." He laughed as he offered a hand.

Axel merely scoffed as he grabbed the hand and was mildly surprised that the blond was actually able to pull him up although not without a grunt of effort.

"Yo Axel! Head's up!!" a shout was heard from the far side of the court and a ball was thrown in their direction.

The red head's eyes widened and he quickly brought his hands up to make sure it doesn't hit his already hurting face. "Uh…" he stared at the ball that he held in his hands and looked at Roxas. "Here! For you!!" he cried out with a lop-sided smile on his face before tossing it to the blond.

"D-don't give it to me!" he stuttered and threw the ball back quite forcefully to the red head that stood not even a foot away.

"You're closer to the hoop. _You_ make the shot." He reasoned as he threw the ball back.

"You're hands are longer than mine, your aim is probably better too!" shove.

"No, no I insist, really!! I'm pretty bad at sports actually." Toss.

"As if I'm any better?!" fling.

While the two bickered about who should make the shot, half of the team stopped to watch and listen.

"Happy birthday!" Axel cried out as he shoved the basketball to the blond.

"Merry Christmas!" he threw it back to the red head.

"Happy Hanukkah!"

"I don't celebrate Hanukkah, but happy new year!"

"Happy thanks giving!"

And so, they kept on tossing the ball to one another, adding on another ridiculous holiday in the mix as well. Even a 'Happy Leaf Ericson Day' was mentioned, although they hardly knew what it was.

"Err…isn't that considered a foul or something?" Tidus asked the teacher as he continued to stare at the red head and the blond.

"Yes, I suppose. But it's mildly comical if you ask me." Xaldin merely shrugged as he tapped his clipboard.

"I guess…shouldn't you stop it?" he looked up at the older man with a quirked up eyebrow. "I mean…it _is_ your job…"

"This doesn't qualify as an actual fight. No fists or feet are involved. And besides, you don't get to see this everyday." He barely held back a laugh.

The sandy haired blond could hardly believe his teacher. 'He is seriously whacked.' Then shrugged as he turned back to watch Axel hold the ball beyond Roxas' reach after the tables have suddenly done a 180 degree turn and now it's about who _can_ actually make the shot and who was better at sports.. 'But then again…so are _they_.' He smirked as he folded his arms.

And somehow Roxas got pushed into the other team, courtesy of Xaldin and conspired by Tidus, the competition between the red head and the blond was put against each other.

Axel managed to score two shots, while Roxas only managed one, but he _did_ also manage to steal the ball from the red head a couple of times. Which was actually quite a shock to Axel, he never had thought that the blond would be such a quick runner and a quick dodger.

'Five more steps, three more steps.' Roxas panted as he ran closer to the hoop. "He shoots!!" he threw the ball and it rebounded off the back board, danced around the ring once before slowly falling in. "And he scores!!" he elbowed the empty spot by his stomach and smirked as he turned around to the red head. "And you said I couldn't do it."

"Oh no, no, no." he shook his head as he placed his hands on his hips. "It was _you_ who said you couldn't do it. I merely agreed." He shrugged with a smirk.

"That's the same thing!!" he cried out as he pointed at the red head.

"Yeah, whatever." He scoffed as he raised his hands up in time to catch the ball that was throw to him. "See ya on the other side." He smirked as he ran off towards the opposing goal,

"Hey!!" with Roxas on his tail.

When the game was over, the score was tied ten all. The end result, was a panting like there was no tomorrow Axel and Roxas. They wouldn't be panting so much if they actually did their job of putting the basketballs away, but a last minute show down was decided to see who was the better player.

"Damn you…Roxas…I'm gonna be…feeling this tomorrow." He whined as he collapsed on top of the gym benches and tried not to hyper ventilate.

"Me?" he panted out in disbelief, "It's all…_your_ fault. Challenging me…like that." He wheezed out as he tried not to drink up all his water supply, but failed.

"I was only being an ass, didn't have to take it seriously." He sat up on the bench and wiped his sweat with the back of his hand.

"Well I'm sorry, I didn't know that's what you call being an 'ass'." He swore and quickly covered his mouth. "Opp…"

"Ooo…" Axel started snickering like he found possible black mail material. "Roxas said the 'A' word…how will your mother react?" he grinned cockily.

"I think I'm hanging around you too much." He reasoned as he huffed and turned away while folding his arms in the process.

"Hey now. Don't go putting blame on me." Axel frowned with a slight pout as he glared half heartedly at the blond.

Out of no where, Roxas suddenly thumped his head on his locker. Mumbling words like, "I just said the 'A' word…I can't believe I said the 'A' word…" he sniffed.

"Oh, _I_ see, you're just putting the blame on me to make yourself feel better, now isn't that right Roxas?" he smirked as he folded his arms and quirked up an eyebrow.

"Yes…yes I am." He sighed as he numbly fumbled with the combination lock and turned the dial.

"Now, now. No need to feel bad." He swung his arm around Roxas' shoulder. "Everybody goes through that swearing phase every once in a while." He reasoned in an attempt to make the blond feel better.

"You're still in that phase."

"I chose to stay in that phase. It makes me feel good." He smirked.

"But they're just words."

"_Exactly_!" he smiled. "They, are, just, words." He spoke out slowly, as if trying to make a point. "Just words people made up, and people take the wrong way."

"Uh…huh." He nodded his head.

"Like for example, please excuse me for my profound language." He waited for the blond to give the ok sign before continuing, "Bitch," the blonds' eye twitched a little bit here, "Is a word to describe a dog which happens to be a female, but nowadays, everybody uses it to, oh I dunno," he shrugged, "Yell at people." he cleared his throat again and continued, "And bastard." Insert another twitch here, "Is a way of saying a guy has no father. Ya following me?"

"…Unfortunately yes." Roxas looked as though he wanted to run out of the room. 'Why am I learning this?'

"But yeah, I'm digressing. What I'm _really_ trying to say is, that they're just words. Nothing more."

"Exactly…they're just words, so you should stop using them." He retorted.

"Too late for me kid." He messed up Roxas' hair.

"Don't call me kid." He smacked the hand away and glared at the red head.

"Whatever you say Roxy." He smirked and shrugged as he took a step back.

"Don't call me Roxy either."

"You're so demanding Roxas! Can't you just chill?" he chuckled as he opened his locker and leisurely changed into his normal clothes.

"I'll chill when I have a sea salt ice cream in hand." He spoke as he opened his locker and kicked his shoes off at the same time.

Axel made a noise of disbelief. "And there you go again with that ice cream."

"I thought you like it." He furrowed his eyebrows and gave a half frown and half pout.

"Oh, yeah I like it. I do, seriously." He raised his eyebrows as he stared at the blond, "But I dunno, you sound like an addict to me." He couldn't help but chuckle. "Somehow, you'd always bring up that darn ice cream out of the blue."

"Hey, I can't help it if it's nice…" he pouted as he pulled out his clothes and proceeded to get changed.

"Yeah well-" suddenly a ring tone sounded from within the red head's locker. "Whoops, that'll be mine." He rummaged around his belongings and took out his cell phone. He checked the caller id and his smirk quickly disappeared. "Hello, Axel speaking?"

Roxas didn't know if he should laugh at that tone or keep quiet. So far, he was doing pretty good with being quiet, but not without the help of biting his lower lip in order to do so.

"Sure, just for a few hours? Ok then, see you later." He hung up and placed his phone into the pocket of his jeans. "So anyways, what were we-"

Roxas suddenly started laughing his head off, all the while making horrible imitations of the red head's voice. "Hello, Axel speaking?!" he held onto his stomach as he laughed harder, wiping the tear away from his eyes. "Axel _speaking_!!"

"That was my work place by the by." He quirked up an eyebrow as he frowned half heartedly at the cackling blond.

After a few more taunts and mockeries, the blond finally simmered down to a slight chuckle. "Ho man…that was hilarious." He sat down on the benches and sighed happily.

"Yeah, I figured." He rolled his eyes with a smirk on his face.

"Ho man…" Roxas wiped his tears away, "That was unbelievable. Suddenly, your phone goes off and you pick it up and start talking, 'Hello, Axel speaking.' In a business like tone."

"It _is_ my work place after all, I gotta be all civilized and all that shit."

"Yeah, whatever." He shrugged as he laughed again. "I won't be forgetting that any time soon, hah, Axel speaking." He snickered.

"And I don't think I'll be living _that_ down either…" he sighed with a grin as he took out his personal belongings and his shoulder bag before closing his locker. "Anyways, I gotta jet. They've asked me to come in for work for a few hours." He spoke as he tapped his shoes on the floor.

"Oh, ok then. See ya tomorrow." He waved the red head off.

"Yup, I'll call ya when I get bored." He saluted the blond and walked right out of the dressing room, his foot steps mixing in with the crowd going home.

After the red head was gone, Roxas quickly changed into his clothes, and left. After getting his homework from his other locker, he managed to find Sora in front of the school with a couple more minutes to spare.

"Hey Roxas! I heard from Tidus that you and Axel are quite the basketball players." The brunet smiled as he fell into step with his blond counterpart.

The blond laughed, "Nah, we were just seeing who was the better player. I think I'm starting to feel my muscles cramping up." He groaned slightly.

He heard a gasp from Sora, "You have _muscles_?!" he spoke teasingly.

"I'm not _that_ utterly useless." He smirked as he punched his brother playfully on the shoulder.

"Ouchies!! You're bullying me!!" he started crying pathetically.

"Oh now that's just mocking me…"

They both laughed as they turned the corner and walked towards their bus stop. They exchanged stories of what they did today on the bus ride home and Sora kept going on about what to do in their holidays and about church camp.

"Oh man, it's gonna be so awesome this year! We get to bring Riku and Axel along!!" he skipped excitedly as he approached their home. "Totally awesome, totally awesome." He repeated.

Roxas smiled fondly as Sora continued to exuberant about the upcoming holidays and events. He could feel the excitement radiating out from him as they got closer to home. By the time they got there, the brunet immediately jumped on the couch, switched on the TV and zonked out from the world of the living.

'Yup, that's Sora for ya.' He smiled as he shook his head. He tugged off his shoes, dumped his bag by the stairs and went into the kitchen for a snack.

"Welcome home dears!" their mother appeared from the hallway that led to the laundry room holding onto a basket of clean clothes. "How was your day?"

"It was good mum." The blond smiled as he took out the bottle of orange juice and poured himself a glass.

"That's good to hear, would the both of you like a snack?" she asked as she settled down the basket by the couch and walked into the kitchen.

"Yes please." Sora cried out, unable to tear his eyes away from the television screen.

"No mum, I'm good." The blond scratched his neck and proceeded out of the kitchen. "I'll be upstairs doing my homework."

"Alright dear, I'll call you when dinner's ready ok?"

"Ok, thanks mum." He picked up his bag and tramped up the stairs, slowly, one at a time as he sipped his glass of orange juice, careful not to spill any on the carpet floor.

Once he got into his room, he dumped his bag by his desk, drank up the rest of the juice and rested himself on his bed.

"Maybe a nap before homework would be good." He thought to himself as he closed his eyes and drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

By the time he got up, dinner was ready and he has yet to start his homework.

* * *

I bet a few of you got a mental picture of Axel in his boxers…In case you were wondering, he wears a pair of 'flame' boxers. Enjoy!! Lol.

Hmm…Seifer appeared in the chapter, along with his cronies, but we haven't heard a peep out of them!! Something must be utterly, horribly wrong!!!

Anyways, for those who favorite the story AND put it on alert BUT don't review, I'm assuming that my story must be SO good that it left you COMPLETELY speechless. That makes me feel nice, but being left speechless does nothing to affect your typing abilities.

It's not that I WANT a review from you 'JUST BECAUSE'! It's more like, I WANT a review so I know what I did right, and if possible, what I did wrong. So do me a favor, help me improve eh? There's always room for improvement.


	47. Night's worth

Good morning people and rise and shine!! It's time for the new chapter to start and you know what that means!!

Review replies!! Excellent! Here we go!

**delayed-reaction** – Pssh…I swear like crazy. Once every…oh, maybe once every minute if I'm at uni during class. Hardly any at home because my sisters don't know I have such a dirty mouth…Lols.  
**Soraslilangel** – Lols! That cracked me up. But good on ya for not being speechless! Not that I EVER said that you were. Lols.  
**mornir-brightflame** – Because of the 'chill' comment that Axel said of course!  
**.windsinger.windpainter.** – Lols, I understand. The 40 something chapters is pretty intimidating.  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Lols, my apologies my friend, I hope it didn't distract you from school too much. Lols.  
**Honto.Kawaii.Neko-chan** – Lols, I don't even know how I came up with that crack.  
**WGreyB** – Lols, you're very welcome my friend. I'm glad it brightened up your day.  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – I have FANS?! I'm still shocked by it all. Lols.  
**soraXxXriku** – Lols, naughty you for sneaky on when you're grounded! Good on ya for not getting caught though, lols.  
**Hypothetical.Wonder** - What's…canon? I've seen that word a few times, but I never really fully understood it…Pretty sad huh?  
**Anya Urameshi** – Lols, you, my friend have written me one of THE BEST reviews I have ever had the pleasure of ever receiving! I feel so special…and extremely guilty that I was being a complete and total snob last chapter. (Sniffs) How may I make it all up to you?  
**Erinicole12** – Lols, good of you to join us back in the present chapter.  
**Ranchdressing** – Lol, again, I say, I have no idea how I came up with that crack. I think it was because I was watching Lilo and Stitch the other day where Jumba and Stitch tossed each other the laser gun. Lols.  
**Fidget-chan** - Lols, thank you for the fav!! You're not the only one who thought about Axel in his boxers. Lols.

I burnt my finger! AND IT BLOODY HURTS! So you better appreciate this!! Lols.

* * *

A familiar ring tone made its way towards the ears of a certain blond. He had been busy working away on his computing assignment which was due in a few days, and to say the least, he was stressed.

"Hello?" he asked gruffly as he stuck the phone between his ear and shoulder and continued typing away.

"Yo Roxy, are you free tonight?" another familiar voice wormed its way to the said person's ear.

"I'm doing my computing assignment, what do you want?" he re-adjusted his mobile and moved his mouse towards another site.

"Ouch, Roxy…What's with that tone?" he sounded hurt.

"My assignment is due on Friday and I'm not even half way done. I was suppose to do it in the weekend but I got distracted." He reasoned as he sighed and made notes in his visual diary.

"You're not blaming me, are you?" he sounded suspicious.

"No, it's my fault, I should've put it as top priority." He ran his fingers through his hair and leaned back on his swivel chair. "Anyways, what's up?"

"Well…I don't wanna pull you away from your work and all." He sounded somewhat genuinely concerned.

"It's fine, a few minutes break should do me some good." He held onto the phone and allowed his shoulder to rest.

"Oh, well…It's not gonna _be_ a few minutes."

"What do you mean?" he closed his eyes and rubbed them with his fingers. Trying to alleviate the slight sting.

"Well…I haven't eaten dinner yet, and I was gonna ask if you wanna come with."

Roxas shifted his eyes to the clock at the bottom corner of his computer and widened his eyes in shock. "Axel! It's 9o'clock already! Why haven't you eaten yet?" he shouted into the phone.

"Err…I've been busy?"

The blond scoffed, "What a lame excuse." He shifted his position on the chair and crossed his legs on top of it.

"It's true!! One hundred percent true!!" he cried out then coughed into the phone and immediately changed his tone, "So…you wanna come?"

"Ah…my computing assignment-"

"Please," he begged, "I'll make it worth your while."

"How so?" Roxas asked, unable to mask the curiosity in his voice.

"A new place, I'll take you to it."

"My curfew's at-"

"Ten, I know. I'll bring you back before then." He could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Hmm…" he gripped his chin in thought, feeling reluctant of feeling his assignment half done.

"Tick, tock, tick, tock. Time's a ticking away." He pushed the blond.

"Ok, fine." He sighed. "I'll come." He got up from his seat and proceeded to save his work and make his computer go into hibernation.

"Good, I'm right outside your house."

"What the…" he walked towards his window, pulled away the curtains, and surely, there Axel was, waving at the blond while leaning on his car with a smug look on his face.

"So, you weren't gonna leave till you got me to go with you." He smirked as he shook his head.

He heard the red head laugh into the phone. "Yeah, now hurry up. Time waits for no one."

"Ok, ok." He closed his curtains and walked off. "Lemme tell my parents."

"Sweet, see ya later." The red head hung up and so did Roxas. He stuffed his phone into the pocket of his pants, grabbed his keys and wallet and placed them in another pocket. Later, Roxas walked out of his room and knocked on his brother's.

"Hey Sora. I'm gonna hang out with Axel for a bit ok?"

The door swung open and revealed a slightly disheveled brunet. "You're going out with Axel?! This late at night?!"

"Not going _out_ with him, I'm _hanging_ out with him. And he said he'll bring me home by 10." He blushed slightly.

"Aww…you're so lucky…I wish Riku would come visit me more often." He pouted as he folded his arms.

"Maybe you should ask him to." He laughed as he proceeded down the stairs. "I gotta tell mum and dad. See ya later bro."

"Have fun! And be safe!" he cried out and waved.

"You're starting to sound like mum." He shook his head and turned into the living room, walked past it into the kitchen. "Hey mum?" he noticed that his father wasn't in either rooms and figured that he must be in his study.

"Yes honey dear." She smiled as she looked up from her spot behind the stove.

"I'm gonna go hang out with a friend for a little while. Is that ok?"

"Aw dear, but it's so late!"

"He said he'll bring me home before ten." He reasoned with a shrug. "It's ok if you don't want me out this late though. He'll understand." He smiled, 'He'll throw a fit about it though.'

"Oh that's ok dear, I'll be sure to tell your father. You can go, just be sure to be back by ten." She smiled and continued stirring the mixture in a medium sized stainless steel pot.

"Thanks mum." He walked forward and gave her a small peck on the cheek. "I'll be back soon!" he waved and jogged to the front door, pulled on his shoes and opened the door to see an impatient Axel who was tapping his shoe away on the concrete.

"Geez, took you long enough." He smirked as he rolled his eyes, pushed himself off the door and walked to his side of the car.

"Well, nice to see you too." He spoke sarcastically as he hopped into the passenger seat. "Where're we going?"

"You'll see soon enough." He chuckled as he started the engine, shifted into gear and drove off. "Funny story though,"

"Hm?" he regarded the red head as he leaned on the arm rest.

"I found it on my way back home and I figured we should check it out." He shrugged as he turned the corner and shifted to the next gear up.

"Is it nice?"

"No idea, I haven't gone in yet. I just stared at it from the outside." He grinned as he slowed to a stop at the red light.

Roxas laughed, "Couldn't you at least check it out first before coming to get me?"

"Where's the fun in that? It's better to share it with somebody else." He smirked as he pulled into first gear and drove off when the lights turned green.

The blond sighed with a smile, "Whatever you say." He shook his head as he turned to stare out the window at the passing scenery.

They got to their destination within ten minutes and after Axel pulled on the brakes, he tapped the blond on the shoulder and motioned him to look outside.

Roxas leaned over and peered at the neon words that shone brightly. "Woah…" was all he could say.

"Yeah I know! Lucky we changed the name of our café or else we'd be plagiarizing." He laughed as he unbuckled the seatbelt, moved out of the car and started for the building.

Noticing the red head walking away, Roxas quickly unbuckled his own seat belt, bolted out of the car and jogged after the red head. Once he caught up, Axel raised his keys, pushed a button and his car locked and armed itself.

"You reckon Sai'x knew about this place?"

"Nah, don't think so. He's either at home, in his garden, on the roof of his house, or at school with us." He reasoned with a wave of his hand.

"You make him sound like he doesn't have a life." He scoffed as he stared at the sign.

"He does, but he'd much rather watch the moon then hang out with us." He chuckled as he reached for the door and held it open for the blond. "After you."

"Thanks." He smiled and stepped inside. "Who knew 'Flames of Destiny' is a real place?"

"Not me, that's for sure." He scoffed and walked up to the podium. The server immediately raised her head, did a small double take but covered it up with a polite smile.

"Hello, welcome to Flames of Destiny, how may we be of service tonight?"

'Suddenly, I'm missing Rikku's obnoxious 'Kupo!'.' Roxas thought to himself as Axel spoke, "Table for two please."

"Ok, right this way please." She picked up two menu books and guided them towards a free table. "Here is your table, and here are your menus." She handed one to each of them as they took their seat. "Tonight's special is poached salmon served on creamed cabbage and parsnip puree garnished with flakes of parsnip chips. Please do not hesitate to ask for service." She nodded and walked back to the podium.

Once she was gone, Roxas had to turn and stare at the red head. "This is a pretty high class place don't you think?"

"How was I suppose to know?" he flipped open the menu and almost choked on his spit when he saw the prices. "Shhhh-We should've gone to Kupo Kafe instead." He almost swore but managed to cover it in time. "But it's too late to high-tail it outta here now."

"I guess…" he fingered the golden decorations on the red velvet menu.

"Man, this is crazy…an entrée is worth two hours of work…" he sighed softly and flipped to the next page. "Oh great, and the mains are worth four hours of work." He rested his elbow on the table as he furrowed his eyebrows at the menu items.

Roxas opened the book gingerly and widened his eyes when he saw the prices as well. "Um…Is it really too late to leave?"

"Yes, and I really don't wanna look bad." He flipped to the next page while he rested his cheek on his closed fist.

"We ran out of Kupo Kafe before, what's stopping you now?" he asked curiously.

"It's different this time." He reasoned with a shrug, "I've been going to that place for a long time, they don't mind if I suddenly run out. And besides, last time I ran out was because of an emergency."

"True." He nodded his head and turned to the desserts page. "What are you getting?"

"Dunno, but the chicken sounds good. I _love_ chicken." He smirked as he scanned the item then finally decided, "Ok, I'm getting the chicken. What're you getting?" he asked as he looked up to the blond.

"Er…I'm not getting anything. I've already eaten remember?" he looked at the red head worriedly, 'You'll end up paying for me again and I don't want that…'

"Order a dessert, then you and I can share." He pulled Roxas' menu over the table and tilted it slightly so he could look at it. "The bittersweet espresso cake sounds nice."

"That's the same price as having an entrée…" his face faltered.

"Yeah well, would you expect less from a five star restaurant?"

"Yes…" he wished as he fought back a sigh and leaned back on his chair.

"Are you ready to order?" a different waitress, dressed in a white blouse, black tie and black business skirt came up to them with a pad and pen in hand.

"Yes, I'll have the chicken with sage and camembert stuffing please." Axel spoke as he held up the menu and pointed to the item.

"No entrees sir?" the brunette waitress asked as she scribbled down the menu item.

"No thanks." He shook his head as he closed the book.

"And what would you like for dessert?" she tucked a strand of her shoulder length hair behind her ear as she looked at him expectantly.

"Oh, he'll have the bittersweet chocolate cake please." He spoke as he pointed towards Roxas.

She widened her dark hazel eyes slightly but took down the order regardless. "Is that all?"

"Yes, thank you." He replied politely as he held up the menus for the waitress.

"Would you like to have them both served at the same time or one after another." She asked as she reached out for the menus.

"Ah…" the red head looked at the blond questioningly.

"We'll have it at the same time thanks." Roxas quickly replied as he looked up at the brunette.

"Alright," she scribbled down a few extra notes and smiled at them, "Thank you, would you like any drinks while you're waiting?"

Axel shifted his eyes to the blond once again who merely shrugged. "Water is fine."

"Ok then." She walked off through the doors that led to the kitchen and as the double doors swung back and forth, they heard the head chef call out, "Order up! One chicken and one bittersweet cake!!"

"Man, this is a nice place, but I wouldn't recommend a student to come over just for a meal." Axel sighed as he refrained from resting his chin on the table like he would at Kupo Kafe.

"Yeah, this is the kind of place you'd only come every once in a while." He looked down and noticed that there was folded white napkin in front of him and to the left were 2 sets of forks, to the right was a spoon and 2 knives, and to the very left, a small plate with another knife on top of it. To the top right, was an empty glass and in the middle was a lighted candle and a small vase of fresh flowers.

"So many knives and forks and blah di blah…" Axel spoke as he stared at the items disinterestedly and picked up a knife.

"I'm not surprised." He spoke as he watched the waitress come out of the kitchen and walk over to the bar at the far end of the restaurant. He took out his phone and took note of the time. '9:18, great…'

"Checking the time?" Axel asked casually as he fingered the handle of the knife he held.

"Yeah."

"Keep staring at it, a watched clock goes slower." He smirked as he watched the blond quirk up an eyebrow at him.

The waitress appeared beside Axel with a cool jug of water in hand and began to pour it into his glass. Once she was done, she moved over towards Roxas' side and poured water into his.

"Thank you." He replied politely, unable to meet her eyes to thank her properly. 'I feel out of place…' he thought to himself as he stared at the condensation forming on the outside of the glass.

"You're welcome. If there is anything else, please do not hesitate to ask." She gave them a practiced smile and walked off with the jug back to the bar.

The time it took for their meal to arrive was twenty minutes, the time it took for them to devour it was roughly ten minutes, and by the time they, (and by they, I meant Axel) paid up, they had about ten minutes left before Roxas' curfew to get home.

"Thank you for your patronage." The waitress at the podium smiled as they left out the front door. "Please come again."

Once the doors were closed and they were half way to the red head's car, Axel cried out, "Jesus Christ." Meriting himself a glare from the blond, "That was the most awkward, most expensive, most…blah dinner I have ever had." He sighed as he pulled out the keys and pushed the button to unlock his car.

Despite Axel's way of commenting his displeasure, he had to agree. Roxas sighed as he walked over to the passenger side and got in. Even if it wasn't him that was paying, he still knew what it was like to spend money on something that wasn't really worth it. And this, was _so_ not worth it.

Once he got in, he watched Axel push the key into ignition and start it up, but before driving off, he thumped his head on the steering wheel. "Ugh…Never again…until I graduate…"

Roxas lips twitched into a smile as he watched the red head moan and groan away. "Six hours of work…six hours. That's four from today and two from my last shift."

"Oh right," he suddenly realized. "You were working today."

"Yes indeed I was, from four till eight. That's why I didn't eat dinner till now." He looked up from his steering wheel and stared at the blond.

"I see, couldn't you grab something from work? I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"Well…they only thing they have that I can actually eat are peanuts and chips. You don't want me to become unhealthy do you?" he smirked as he pulled into gear but didn't release the clutch just yet.

"A bit of body fat on you wouldn't hurt. You're skin and bones." He poked at the red head's shoulder to prove his point and poked him again.

"Ok, I got it. I need to eat more." He sighed and drove off while the blond continued to poke him. "You can stop poking now." He glanced at Roxas who had a grin on his face as he continued poking. "Seriously, you can stop it now."

The blond snickered as his pokes turned into jabs.

"Roxas…" Axel whined as he turned the corner. "Quit it! Seriously, I'm driving here!!" he cried out, unable to shift to the next gear due to the incessant jabbing. "It's starting to hurt." He complained.

* * *

"Mum! I'm home!" Roxas called out from the front door.

"Welcome home dear." She looked up from the drama she was watching on TV and greeted him with a warm smile.

"But I'll be outside with my friend ok?"

"Ok dear." She nodded and returned to watching her late night show.

When he closed the door, he walked up to the red head who had his arms folded and was now leaning on the side door of his car.

"So, you decided to chill out here with me after all." The red head smirked as he tilted his head up slightly.

"Maybe I'm trying to make up for the times you've been paying for me." He replied as he stood casually in front of Axel.

"That's not fair. I think you owe me a lot more than that." He pointed out. 'How about you start now by letting me kiss you good night?' he quickly brushed away the thought.

"True, and knowing you, you'd probably wouldn't accept money, right?" he folded his arms as he smirked at the red head.

"Too right you are." He chuckled as he shifted his whole weight to one foot and rested the other on the bottom of the car door. 'But I'll accept your hugs and kisses.' He squashed down that thought as well.

"Hmm…" Roxas gripped his chin and furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "If I was Axel, what would I want." He asked himself.

'I'd want you to be mine.' He felt his eye twitch, 'Dammit, stop thinking like that.' He berated himself.

"I don't know, what _do_ you want?" he tilted his head to the side and regarded the red head standing in front of him.

'I want you, I want nothing but you.' He managed a smirk, "Wouldn't have a clue."

"What? How can you not know what you want?"

"Simple, you just, _not_ know." He reasoned with a shrug. 'You're flirting with me and you don't even know it…' he sighed internally. 'Or _do_ you…?' he raised an eyebrow as he continued to stare at the blond. "Say, ah…Roxas."

"Hmm?" he stuffed his hands in his pockets, in a small attempt to retain some warmth.

'How do I ask this…_how_ do _I_ ask _this_?' he stared at the blond, at a loss for words, then noticed that he was shivering. "Ah never mind. You're cold, go back inside and finish your homework."

"Finish what you were gonna say first." He glared half heartedly at the red head as he folded his arms.

"Err...I forgot?" he offered lamely as he pushed himself off the door and stood up straight.

"You and I both know that you're lying." He scoffed.

"Hey, I can't help it if my short term memory sucks." He smiled sheepishly.

"You're hiding something aren't you?" he accused.

Axel sighed, "Look, Roxas…" he placed a hand on the blonds' shoulder and leaned down slightly, this action caused the said person to blush, "You're shivering and it's cold out," he spoke into his ear. "Go back inside now or you're gonna get hyperthermia." He straightened his back out and smirked down at the blond.

Roxas tried to make the blush go away but failed, he pouted and turned heel. "Fine," be stalked up to his door and opened it, but before he stepped inside, he turned around, stuck his tongue out and made a face at Axel.

The red head chuckled, "Maybe you'd like some music to help you get to sleep hm?" he offered with a smirk.

He continued to pout but reluctantly nodded, "That'll be nice."

"Download 'Stolen' by Dashboard Confessional, it should lull you to sleep." He smirked as he walked backwards to the driver's side.

"Ok." He watched the red head get into the car, start the engine, give a salute to the blond before driving off.

He continued to stand outside till he couldn't hear the sound of his car anymore. He sighed and got inside, slowly tugged his shoes off and placed them neatly on the floor before trudging up the stairs.

He turned the handle of his room door but before he even opened it, Sora burst out from his room with a wide grin on his face. "Where d'ya go?" he asked excitedly.

"We went to this place call 'Flames of Destiny."

"Oooh, sounds fancy. Was it fancy?" he raised his eyebrows as he stared at his blond counterpart.

"If by fancy, you mean expensive, then yeah." He laughed.

"Did you go anywhere else?" he grinned mischievously.

"Nah," Roxas shook his head and waved his hand from side to side, "After we ate, we came back here."

"Oh, I see, I see." He nodded his head, "I _did_ hear somebody park outside the house a few minutes ago." He rubbed his chin and stared up at the ceiling, "Anyways! Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, I guess I did." He smiled as he lowered his gaze to an odd spot on Sora's pajama shirt.

"Hehe." He grinned happily. "Ok, good night!" he waved and went back into his room.

Roxas rolled his eyes at his brother's door and went into his own bedroom as well. He switched on the lights and sighed as he ran his fingers through his unruly blond hair before sitting down on his bed.

"What a night." He stared at nothing in particular in front of him and noticed a slight blinking somewhere to his right. When he shifted his eyes towards it, he realized that it was from his computer and suddenly remembered that he left it in hibernation mode. "Whoops." He got up and pushed the button to make it come out of that mode.

Once the screen came back on, he took note of the time, '10.13.' He sighed again. He didn't feel like doing his computing assignment at the moment and was about to switch off the computer when his phone rang.

He took out his phone, looked at the caller ID and answered it with a smile. "Did you forget something?"

"Yes, indeed I did." He heard a chuckle. "I forgot to say good night."

Roxas laughed. "Is that all?"

"Nope," a smirk here, "Have you downloaded the song yet?"

In truth, he had actually forgotten about it but was glad the call came in time to stop him from switching off the computer. "I was just doing that actually." He lied but smacked his forehead for doing so.

"Cool, cool. Well, I better let you go to sleep now. Good night Roxy."

"Good night Axel."

"Adios." He could see the red head salute at him again.

They both hung up and the blond quickly opened a window and typed in the site he would normally go to for songs.

'Dashboard, dashboard.' He thought to himself as he scanned through the band names and searched for the title of the song. 'There ya go.' He right clicked on the link, chose the option 'Save target as' and picked the location of where the file should be saved in and downloaded it.

Once the download was complete, which took less than a minute, he opened the folder and double clicked on the song.

It started off with a smooth and calming rhythm, 'Hmm…this is a surprise.' He thought to himself as the vocalist of the band started singing. 'Not as emo as I thought it would be.'

"Sleep well,

Sleep well…"

He felt his eyelids droop and he had to force them to open again.

"You have stolen my heart,

You have stolen my heart…"

'Man, I'm sleepy.' He yawned and could barely concentrate on the song. He got up and walked to his other desk, reached into his pockets and leisurely took out his wallet, and his keys and left them on the table. He yawned again as he left his room and walked down the hallway towards the bathroom.

After doing his nightly routine, he went back into his room and vaguely took note that his phone was by the keyboard. He walked over to the computer, closed the site and music player and moved the mouse towards the menu to switch it off.

During the time it took for the computer to switch off, he changed into his pajamas, switched off the lights and stumbled into bed.

He sighed again as he felt himself slowly slip away, 'Ok, maybe tonight _was_ worth it.' He smiled as he closed his eyes and allowed sleep to take over.

* * *

I…did not like this chapter. Nah-uh. Not one bit…(gets off the computer to play FF-X…) Ok fine, maybe a little. Lol. 


	48. Understanding

Ok I lied…I liked the last chapter, but I hated the part with the restaurant, it was awkward even for me!! Lol. 

Damn…I'm losing interest in this story. It's not that I ran out of ideas, but it's more like, I don't know how to progress any further…Lol…opps? Too many plot bunnies are coming out of no-where for this story! And it just keeps on making me write more and more useless (?) chapters that aren't even relevant (?) to the actual story (?)! Lol, I'm getting frustrated at my own imagination…Guh…

**Soraslilangel** – Yes, my friend. I updated a day early JUST for you! Lols.  
**Iceangelwolf** – Oh, no worries my friend! The more you practice, the better you will be!! I'm glad that you enjoy reading my story.  
**pride1289** – Well, at least you still sort of liked it. Better than not liking it at all. Lol.  
**.windsinger.windpainter.** – By staying up extremely late. Lols, I'm on the computer practically everyday, that's pretty much why.  
**mornir-brightflame** – Yes, I must say that Roxas is a little 'slow' when noticing things. Hopefully, that will change in the future. (Rubs hands together and cackles)  
**WGreyB** – Gah, yeah, my finger is like blistered and everything, but worry not! It doesn't hurt that much anymore which means I'm back to typing! Lols.  
**Honto.Kawaii.Neko-chan** – (Nods, nods) Agreed, it was not the best, but at least it wasn't the worst! Lol, always a good side to it all.  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Sigh, I might be rushing it a bit much. I mean, well…it's almost fifty chapters and not much of a hint of a kiss is visible yet. Which totally sucks…  
**Hypothetical.Wonder** – Ah! I understand!! Thank you! Lols, I was always wondering why people say that Zexmy is so non-canon and AkuRoku is completely canon and everything…Well, now I know. Lols.  
**3s4ever** – Kya!! Thank you! (Grins like a maniac)  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Yes! I believe you are the only person so far to catch on that title! Or mentioning it at least! Congrats my friend!  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Next Saturday? What's happening next Saturday? This Saturday? Axel's and Roxas' Saturday? Or real life Saturday? OH MY GOD THE SUSPENCE IS KILLING ME!!! Lols.  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Brilliant! Which means you could listen to it while you read it! Lols.  
**delayed-reaction** – I disliked it because it seemed sort of rushed…  
**Launch shinra** – Lols, homework should burn…Glad it made you laugh though. Lols. And unfortunately, my heart is taken by somebody who doesn't think I am anymore than a friend. A pity isn't it? Anyways, go AkuRoku forever!!!  
**Ranchdressing** – Not I that's for sure! (Snort) Lols.  
**astra.zox.it.ee** – Lols, now that's what I call self control. Will you be willing to share some with me? Lols.  
**soraXxXriku** – Aww, I'm glad you like it! I think I was sort of unhappy with it before, but now I'm pretty ok with it. Lols.  
**The Mad Empty Shell** – Guh! FINALLY! SOME CRITICISM FROM A NEW REVIEWER!! HOW I'VE AWAITED FOR THIS DAY!! I _completely_ agree with you, I DID find the story far too long, and I was thinking of re-doing it in the future when it's all finished and everything. Sigh. And you know about that dream? When I first mentioned it and thought it all out, I sort of…forgot to write it out. So right now, I'm pretty lost about them…Guh, I'm so horrible! Oh! And no problem about the songs. Sharing is caring after all. Lols. And thanks SO, SO, SO much with the critic! As I've said before, constructive criticism is ALWAYS welcomed! It helps me improve so much.

So, thanks for a nice, good kick in the butt from **The Mad Empty Shell**, I've sort of finally decided to move on with the story a bit faster. I'm sorry, even _I _hate doing this, but it MUST be done! I'll be skipping lessons and maybe (although rarely) even days of the week, but worry not! I'll always try to let you know (one way or another) what day Axel and Roxas are on, so you won't be too lost about it, (do you ever get lost?), so there you have it, my little rant of the…chapter.

* * *

Today, we find the emo group spending their Tuesday lunch time in the music room. In one corner, Marluxia and Larxene were busy holding hands and giving each other nose rubs while in another corner, Xigbar was occupied playing with his bass guitar and fiddling around with the tuning.

Sai'x engaged himself with the drums set and occasionally moved from one complex rhythm to another. Close by, Demyx and Zexion tried to sync their electric guitars together for a piece that the dirty haired blond composed last night.

On the chair by the grand piano, sat Axel and Roxas, both with guitars in hand and plastic picks.

"Ok, just follow my lead, alright?" the red head spoke as he adjusted his fingering and waited for the blond to mimic.

Roxas stuck his tongue out as he tried to stretch his fingers to match Axel's. After a few tries and fumbles, he managed to get it, although just barely.

"Don't worry about your fingers hurting, you'll get use to it after a while." He smirked as he strummed the strings to make a smooth melody.

"You've got longer fingers than mine, that's cheating." He copied the red head but the sound came out different.

"Yeah, having longer fingers help, but with practice and motivation _plus_ dedication, you'll get to my level in no time." He started playing a tune, never minding the blond who was still trying to get the hang of one chord. "And you, my friend, just played the G chord. Congratulations." He smiled.

"Oh hurrah…I can feel the happiness coursing through my veins…" he spoke sarcastically as he played the tune again, this time it came out better, not perfect or close to Axel's, but good enough for his current standards.

"Just learn them one at a time and you'll be sweet." He started tapping on the floor with one foot as he played the same chord over and over again.

"What about the drums?" the blond asked as he played the chord again.

"Woah there boy, slow down." He held up his hand and chuckled. "Learn one new instrument at a time."

"Yeah I know, but the drums should be pretty easy to learn right?"

"I suppose." He added begrudgingly with a shrug. "I don't know much about drums, but I'm sure Sai'x can teach you." He nodded his head towards the blue haired drummer.

At the mention of his name, Sai'x turned his head to their direction. "You called?" he asked coolly.

"Nothing," Axel smiled and waved, "Roxas was just wondering if you could teach him how to play the drums."

"I'd be delighted to." He nodded and started twirling the stick in his hand.

"Oh, not now though. Maybe next time?" the blond called out from his spot.

"Whenever you wish." He nodded his head once again and returned to playing out more rhythms.

"Cool." He smiled and went back to strumming on the guitar, "I think I'm getting the hang of this. What's next?"

Axel smirked, "Next, we play a song in the chord of G." and started playing a rhythm on the guitar.

Their lunch time ended surprisingly fast, Axel blamed it on the fact that they forgot to watch the clock and Roxas reasoned that they were having too much fun.

"Time passes by a lot more quickly if you're having fun." The blond laughed as they walked down the crowded hallway towards their Stats class.

"Yeah, but it would've lasted a lot longer if we stared at the clock." He scoffed as he buried his hands in his pockets.

"Then we wouldn't be able to concentrate on playing the guitars, would we?"

"I suppose," the red head sighed, "It just doesn't work out either way, does it?"

"Would it make you feel better if I took out the batteries from the clock?" he smirked.

"_May_be." He returned the smirk with one of his own. "But I'd probably be confused when the bell rings and I look back at the clock to see that it hadn't even moved a second."

"True, but you win some, you lose some." He shrugged as he entered the classroom. Their teacher has yet to arrive. "Can't have everything, now can you?"

"Oh shhhiit," he cursed. "I slept through yesterday's class…I completely forgot about copying the notes from you."

The blond sat down and took out his books from his bag. "He gave us a lot of notes to copy and exercises to do yesterday."

The red head sunk in his seat and growled, "That conniving, son of a-"

"You'd best not finish that sentence Axel, lest you will get a detention from me." Their teacher made his entrance into the class with a smirk and a few books in hand.

"I knew you weren't being as courteous as I thought you would be." He fought back a sneer as his eyes followed their teacher.

"Oh why Axel, after I let you catch up on your much needed rest, this is how you thank me?" he sounded hurt as he placed down his books on his desk.

'Oh great, another drama queen.' Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, thanks a lot." The red head spat out while he kept the not-so-genuine looking smile on his face, 'Not.' He scoffed in his head.

"Oh would you look at that? I've seen to have forgotten a book back in my office." He grinned as he walked towards the door. "You have a small window of opportunity Axel. Use it wisely." He spoke as he disappeared out the door, ignoring the other students that were coming in.

"Can I borrow your notes?" the red head sighed as he took out a somewhat messy book from his own bag.

"You can," he handed him his math's book but didn't let go of it. "Or I could give you the copies instead."

"Hm?" he stared at him bemusedly while still keeping a firm grip on the blonds' book. "What are you on about?"

"I did the liberty of copying you another set of notes. You know," he shrugged, "Being the nerd and all, I finished ahead of time and I had nothing better to do." He smirked as he reached over to his other work book and pulled out a few pages worth of writing and book references.

"Roxas, you are my angel." He almost cried tears of happiness as he reached out to hug the blond.

"I don't do hugs thank you." His smirk faltered as he pushed the red head away with a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, just one." He begged as he reached over. His fingertips just touching the blonds' unruly hair.

"No thank you." He gave the red head a light shove. "Take your notes or else I'll burn them to the ground."

"Burning stuffs outside of the science room is a big no-no. You of all people should know that." Axel smirked as he reached out for the notes and took it. "Thanks, Roxas." His smirk turned into a smile as he stared at the pieces of paper in their hands. "Really."

The blond released the papers and gave his nose a light brush. "Heh, no problem."

"Darn…and I'd expected to see an Axel writing furiously away." Their teacher came back, book in hand and with a face that looked as though he had missed out on something really good.

"Dream on," the said person smirked as he turned to regard their sad excuse of a teacher. "Roxas, is a giver. Can't say much about you though." He quirked up an eyebrow at their teacher.

"Again, your words truly hurt me." He walked to his desk and dumped the book on top of it, which landed with a loud thump. "And the only way to make me feel better is to see you all suffer." He grinned menacingly as his face darkened and rubbed his hands together. "Let's have a pop quiz." He smiled innocently as the rest of the class groaned their discomfort and glared at the red head in return.

"Not to worry! It's all fairly easy, even _I _could do it with my eyes blindfolded!" he went to his desk, pulled opened the drawer and revealed a small stack of papers. "In truth, I was going to spring this on you tomorrow, but why leave for tomorrow what you can do today?" he grinned as he started handing out the tests face down. "No peeking."

"Of course you could do it. _You_ made it yourself." Axel scoffed as he twirled a pen between his fingers while staring down at the piece of paper in front of him with a burning passion.

"Oh how true, how true." He sighed as he rubbed the fine hairs on his chin. "Ten minutes, starting…" he looked at his wrist watch as it ticked away and when it reached to the next minute, he smirked, "Now."

Everybody flipped the paper over, stared at the questions, blinked their eyes and left their mouths agape. They stared up at their teacher for confirmation, or at least an explanation.

"What?" Luxord asked when he sat down on his chair and rested his feet on top of his desk. "I said it was a pop quiz. Never mentioned anything about mathematics." He smirked. "Nine minutes, get on with it."

Roxas looked back down at the first question and quirked up an eyebrow in confusion. 'Question one: What does your teacher like to play?'

'Err…seriously?' he turned his head to the red head next to him who was actually writing furiously and grinning. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. But he merely shrugged as he started writing down the answers.

'Question two: In relations to your teacher's favorite game, name one item that is needed.'

'…' he grumbled in his head and looked up at his teacher who was busy balancing himself on two legs of the chair that he was sitting on. Roxas shook his head as he wrote down his answer then moved on to the next one.

'Question three: How often does your teacher play this game?'

He gave a look of utmost horror at the questions that were being asked and he quickly skimmed the whole page. 'What the…they're all asking about him! What kind of test is this?!' he cried out in his head as he felt his eye twitch.

"Hmm, would you look at that? Half the time's gone, better hurry up." Luxord prodded them on as he tapped on his wrist watch.

'He can't be serious.' The blonds' shoulder slumped as he stared up and down at the piece of paper in front of him and his teacher.

"Why Roxas, you seem confused, is there something wrong?" he smiled.

"Ah…no sir…I'm, fine." He forced a smile and returned to the 'quiz'. 'Ah whatever, I'll just get it over and done with.'

He was done within minutes and looked up at Luxord who was examining his nails. Roxas glanced at the red head beside him and noticed he was finished as well. He even had a wide grin on his face.

"Hehehe," he snickered, 'I might actually get a good mark on this test.' Axel smirked.

"Opps! Time's up." He got up from his seat and collected back every paper he handed out, regardless of whether it was completed or not. "Now that's over and out of my system, how did you find it?"

"Stupid," Roxas replied instantly.

"Fun." The red head smirked, "Will we get graded on these?" he asked curiously.

"That's good, now onto the actual lesson." Luxord ignored the red head as he tapped the pile of papers on his desk in a feeble attempt to keep them together.

'…Did he just ignore me?' Axel's face faltered. 'That bitch…'

"Alright," he picked up a thick book from his table and randomly opened it to a page, "get out your textbooks and flip to page…" he licked his index finger and flipped it to the page he wanted, "137 and get on with that." He then closed the book, threw it back on his table and promptly sat down on his chair.

Roxas suppressed a sigh as he got on with the current work that was set out for the class, ignoring the slight twitch that his eye was giving. 'I'm at my limit of stupidity…'

In the end, Luxord never actually used the book he went back to his office to get.

* * *

"So ah, Roxas. You going home to do that assignment of yours?" Axel asked as he leaned on the locker next to the said person's.

"Yup, I gotta get it done before Friday." He took out his statistics work book from his bag and placed it inside his locker.

"That's like…Wednesday, Thursday…two more days away." He counted on his fingers.

"Yeah, but…" he glanced down into his bag, "I've got a lot to do and although it's not actually that big a deal, I wanna make sure I do enough to get a good grade." He reasoned as he looked back into his locker and took out his visual diary and notebooks from computing class.

"Ah sure, I can understand that. Guess I won't ask you to hang out with me today then." He grinned almost mischievously.

Roxas raised an eyebrow as he turned to stare at the red head. "Ok, I'm fine with that." He shrugged and pulled out his English books from inside the locker.

"I mean, you know, we're both busy." He suddenly found his fingernails very interesting and he started to examine them. "You've got stuffs to do, I've got stuffs to do. Guess it works out both ways huh?" he smirked as he tried to act cool about it.

"Yup." He double checked to see if he got everything he needed before closing his locker. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow then." He smiled, waved and walked away.

"You're not even gonna ask me what I'll be up to?!" he cried out at the blond boy who was walking away from him.

"Nah, I'd figured you would've told me by now." He shot the red head a smirk and disappeared around the corner.

"Guh…he saw right through me." His shoulders slumped as he let out a sigh. 'He knew I wasn't doing anything but still went along with it.' He smirked. 'Sneaky little devil.'

But he shrugged it off and went in the opposite direction.

As Roxas stepped out of the school building, he saw his brother not too far away talking to his silver haired friend. He casually called out their names and waved as he drew closer to the two.

"Sup Roxas." Riku greeted with a curt wave.

"Roxas! Guess what!!!" the brunet cried out as he suddenly grabbed the blonds' shoulder and started shaking him.

"What?" he tried to gently push his brother away.

"Riku said he'll go to camp with me!! Isn't that awesome??" he grinned as he started jumping on the spot.

"Cool." He smiled then turned to the said person. "Hope you don't mind cold nights and freezing mornings."

"I don't mind the cold." He shrugged nonchalantly as he placed his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"And the possibility of getting flea bites." He added with a smirk.

He did a small double take. "You didn't tell me that we might get flea bites." He suddenly turned to the brunet.

"Ah…" he froze on the spot. "If you're lucky, which you are," he added hastily. "You might not even get flea bites at all!" he smiled sheepishly.

"And the chances of that happening are?" he raised his eyebrows at Sora.

"The both of us get flea bites every year we go." Roxas laughed, enjoying the look of pure shock on his brother's face.

"And you still enjoy going?!" Riku couldn't help but cry out.

"Hey! It's fun! And that's all that matters." Sora smiled, hoping that the silver haired boy didn't change his mind about going.

Riku sighed, "I rather endure flea bites than spend a whole week at home with nothing to do." He concluded.

"Yes!!" the brunet jumped and punched the air in victory. "You won't regret it! The sports games we play every year get more and more hilarious." He spoke excitedly. "And don't even get me started on the food!"

"You and your love for food Sora." The blond shook his head and noticed a familiar person who passed by him without giving him a second glance. "Hey Sora, I'll be right back." He spoke and he started for the other person.

The brunet boy turned his head towards Roxas and noticed him going after Hayner. "Yeah, sure." He spoke but knew that his brother didn't hear his words.

Roxas started jogging for the dirty haired blond when he noticed the sudden increase in speed. He reached out for his elbow. "Look Hayner, this has gone on long enough." He panted slightly while the said person yanked his arm back and turned to glare at the blond, "Tell me why you're so uptight about me hanging out with Axel, AKA the emo." He cried out. 'I'm sick and tired of this stupid fight.' He thought to himself.

"I'm not telling you anything." He scoffed and turned to walk away.

"Why?" he followed Hayner out of the school grounds. "We've always fought about random stuffs but nothing like this."

"I don't wanna talk about it ok?!" he had turned his head slightly but still refused to meet the others' eye as he continued power walking through the street towards where his home was located. Determined to get away as fast as possible without the need to run.

"Why?" he chased after the blond as they turned a corner into a secluded area.

"I said, I don't wanna talk about it!" he let out a frustrated growl, feeling his tolerance level really going down the drain.

"Why?!" he insisted as he reached out for Hayner's elbow but the boy suddenly turned around, making him stop dead in his tracks, and shouted at him.

"Because he's taking you away from me!"

Roxas' eyes widened as he felt the wind suddenly punched out of him. "What?" he managed to choke out, 'Am I hearing this right?'

"Roxas," he struggled with the next words, eyes downcast as he debated within himself, "Never mind." He growled out, turned around and stalked off again.

"Wait, Hayner!" he grabbed the said person's elbow. "I don't even know what we're fighting about anymore."

"You just don't get it, and I'm too tired to explain it to you." He tried to pull his arm back, but Roxas kept a firm grip on it. "Let go of me now."

"No! Not until you tell me what's got you so angry," his frown deepened, "at least then I'll know what to apologize for."

"There's nothing to be sorry about." He insisted, his voice going uncharacteristically quiet.

"There's always something to be sorry about." He loosened his grip on Hayner's arm. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I…" he held his breath, "I…"

"What?" he let go of the dirty haired blonds' arm as he slowly turned around to face him.

Hayner kept his eyes downcast but occasionally glanced up at the blond. "I…like you." He spoke quietly, "Why couldn't you see that?" he blurted out.

'What? What, what, what?' he asked himself, "I-I don't get-" a confused smile appeared on his face.

"Roxas, I'm," he swallowed, lifted his eyes to stare into the blonds' before shifting them away again. Quietly, he whispered out the next word. "Gay."

"What?!" he blushed as he cried out then quickly covered his mouth. "Why didn't you tell me?" he harshly whispered out.

"Because you're Christian!" he felt his anger slowly returning. "You're not supposed to believe in these stuffs! I thought you would push me away! That's why I never told you!"

Realization hits Roxas like a raging train going too fast, too furious.

'I get it…That's why he didn't like me hanging around Axel. Because he's…bi.' He watched the emotions pass behind the dirty haired blonds' eyes. 'And Hayner thought that…' if possible, his eyes widened even further. "Oh man…" he felt his face grow incredibly hot.

"You get it now, don't you?" he looked at the blond through pleading eyes.

* * *

His phone vibrated and he pushed the button to open the text, 'Ok, I need to phone u and laugh at u.'

Roxas' eyebrows furrowed and he pushed the button to reply, 'Why?' But his phone started ringing before he even got the question mark on. He answered it and asked the same question. "Why?"

"Because you're naïve and innocent and that's why he likes you." He heard the red head laughing on the other end.

"What? I don't get a word you're saying." He cried out, glad that Axel couldn't see his blush.

"I suppose you wouldn't." his laughter stopped. "How long have you known him for?"

"A few years or so." he leaned back on his swivel chair.

"And you never noticed anything?"

"No…?"

He heard the red head chuckle, "You don't sound so sure."

"I mean, nothing _that_ unusual…" he scratched his chin in thought.

"Right, right. Keep telling yourself that." He sounded incredulous.

"I mean, we're friends. We do friends stuff." He shrugged. "Play games on the playstation, hang out, get into struggle fights, normal stuffs." He insisted.

"Mmhmm." He still sounded rather skeptical. "Lemme ask you a question."

"Yeah?" he leaned forward and rested both his elbow on the table.

"Do you ever catch him looking at you?" there was a different tone behind Axel's question, but he couldn't exactly pin point what.

"No…I mean, it's always coincidental, you know?" he insisted.

"Oh really now." He heard a snort from the red head. "Think about it long and hard."

Roxas sighed as he rested his cheek on the open palm of his free hand. He squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to think back.

The both of them hardly ever had any classes together, save English period.

"_Hayner, stop copying off Roxas' paper." Ms. Gainsborough had called out during class._

"_I'm not-Ah whatever." The said person blushed as he started writing furiously into his own book._

'Nah…Hayner was never really good at taking down notes.' He insisted as he tried to think of another event.

"_What? Do I have ice cream on me or something?" Roxas asked as he started rubbing furiously on his cheek._

"_Ah-er…" he blushed, "No, it's nothing." Hayner would look away and continue on eating his sea salt ice cream._

'No…he might've been looking at something else…' he tried to convince himself again.

"_Alright! Score!!" the blond cried out as he reached out for his prize that he won in a random draw._

_It was a small bag with four colored marbles in it and he tossed one to Olette, Pence and Hayner._

_The dirty haired blond scowled as he stared at the marble in between his thumb and index finger. "Yo Roxas, gimme the blue one instead." Hayner held out the red marble._

"_What? No, the blue one is mine." _

"_Come on, the red one looks so gay." He insisted. "The blue one looks better."_

"_I know, that's why I kept it for myself." He smirked._

"_Man, you suck." His eye twitched but he stuffed the marble into one of his pockets and then managed to get the blond into a head lock. "I'll make you pay!" he laughed as he started to give the blond a hard rub on the head with his knuckles._

"_Hayner! That freaking hurts!" but he couldn't help but laugh along with him._

Roxas opened his eyes and smacked his forehead. 'That was…obvious, somewhat...' He sighed, "Crap…"

The red head suddenly burst out laughing. "Aha!!"

"Ok…So…what do I do now?"

"I don't know. It's _your_ problem." He heard the red head snicker from the other side.

"But you're the cause of it!"

"Hey! Don't you go blaming me!"

Roxas suddenly started whining and the red head laughed at him from the other side. He finally let out a sigh, "You're right, it's my fault." He started thumping his head on the desk. "I'm so stupid, stupid, stupid."

"No need to beat yourself over it." He could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Oh man, what do I do?" he asked himself, but Axel answered regardless.

"Get over it, try to pretend as though nothing's changed."

"I can't do that! _Everything_ is different now!" he cried out, "It's like you're comparing the taste of the sea and eating sea salt ice cream and saying that they're both the same when they're both clearly _not_ the same."

"Aren't they?"

Roxas groaned and thumped his head on the desk once more. "What am I gonna do?" he groaned as he moved his forehead from one side to another.

"Cheer up, oh buddy, oh pal. I've got the remedy to your ailment."

"Really?" his head perked up. "What is it?" he asked eagerly.

"I'll come pick you up in five."

He could've sworn he heard something along the lines of maniacal laughter when the red head hung up.

* * *

Again, I'd like to thank **The Mad Empty Shell **for the lurvely criticism. Now at least I can move on a little faster and everything! Gosh, somebody should've smacked me on the head with a freaking pan to get me to move on. What the fuck, forty something chapters for a bloody week? BULLSHIT MAN! 


	49. When one door closes, another opens

Guh!! Last chapter was a serious PAIN!! Took me a long time to type it all out.

**Soraslilangel** – Lols, you're welcome my friend. It makes me happy to have a friend I can talk to all the time.  
**KitsuneFun** – Lols, ah I don't know about Hayner but I don't think Axel would do something like that to poor Roxas. He's too nice that way.  
**Kev the She-Wolf** – Lols, yeah, about time I gave the story a quite eh?  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Lol, poor Roxas. Stressed out already…  
**Ranchdressing** – (Snort) Hey, sometimes it's hard to see who likes you and who doesn't. For me, I would notice if people like other people. But I would never notice if anybody likes me or not. Lols. Unless someone points it out.  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Lols, yes. Hayner has impeccable timing…But oh wells.  
**pride1289** – Ok! I can totally settle for ok! Lols.  
**delayed-reaction** – Lols, you're not the only one who thinks Hayner has shitty timing. It's hilarious to read people's reactions to Hayner's action.  
**WGreyB** – Thank you for saying so! (Smiles like an idiot) Hehe.  
**CantTakeU** – Lols, aww I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if I can add in a kiss or a hug so soon into their friendship. Either that, or I'm just not imaginative enough. Lols.  
**Launch shinra** – Lols, yeah I remembered that you mentioned it sometime in the earlier chapters, I was already planning it but I can't believe it took me THIS long to put it up. Gosh man…  
**The Mad Empty Shell** – Lols, I felt that Hayner was a bit out of character, but if you say he's good, then he's good! Lols.  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Poor Roxas, thrown into a world (gay/bi world) he only just found out only just recently.  
**soraXxXriku** – (Starts crying) Sniff, thank you for saying so, it made me feel better. But yeah, a few people have said it's taking a little too long, so yeah, I guess it's about time I speed things up a little though. Lols.  
**Hypothetical.Wonder** – Awhh? A love triangle? Ah, I'm not too sure if it's a REAL one yet. You know, I'm just…trying to add some drama. But not that much! At least not until later. Lols.  
**mudermachine007** – Lols, of course you can use it…But erm, well. I'm not the owner of square enix, so, lols…You might have a bit of trouble with disclaimers and stuffs.  
**Boofeh** – Lols, about time it came around eh?

* * *

"You…want me…to help you…wash the car…" the blonds' eye twitched as he stared at the black vehicle in front of him, not even covered in a speck of mud or dirt, save for a couple blotches of bird poo.

"It'll help you stop thinking about certain stuffs." He grinned as he stood by the blond with his hands on his hips.

"Huh…" He scoffed as he folded his arms. The both of them stood outside in the late afternoon sun in worn out clothes. Roxas raised an eyebrow at the car and wondered how he got into this predicament.

As soon as the red head picked up the blond from his house, they zoomed towards his apartment, got into the apartment, then the red head rushed into his room, tossed out two worn out articles of clothing to the blond and demanded that he get changed into them.

He refused to, "Not until I get a good explanation!"

"Just get changed and I'll show you!" the red head cried out,

Again, he refused until Axel came out clad in only a pair of dark three quarter pants and started pulling at the blonds' shirt.

"Alright! I'll get changed!! Crazy idiot." He blushed as he ran into the bathroom, locked himself in and proceeded to get changed, for reasons he couldn't comprehend.

And now, they stood side by side, with two buckets on the floor, filled with soapy water with a sponge in each of them.

"Your car's not even that dirty." He insisted as he raised an eyebrow.

"It doesn't look that dirty because it's black, you'll notice the shit on it if my car was white." He pointed out as he picked up the bucket and walked towards the car. "Come on, gimme a hand." He smirked as he dropped the bucket on the floor and reached into it for the sponge.

The blond sighed as he picked up the remaining bucket and walked over to the other side of the car and started washing it up. "I can't believe I got suckered into washing your car, _your_ car." He muttered as he dunked the sponge into the water and splashed in into the car door.

"It would've taken me twice as long without you." The red head grinned as he pulled up the windscreen wipers and started cleaning the front windshield.

"Child labor…" he grumbled out half heartedly as he started rotating the sponge in a clockwise direction.

"Heh." Was all the red head could manage as he gently scrubbed at the miniscule amount of dirt and the occasional bird poo off the windshield.

After five minutes of silence, and Roxas was starting to get into the pace of washing, dunking, and washing again. Until suddenly, a question came at him out of nowhere.

"So, how do you feel?"

He looked up to stare at the red head who didn't halt his duties of cleaning his car, he furrowed his eyebrows together. He knew what Axel was asking about, but he still wasn't sure about it himself.

"Don't know." He shrugged and continued washing down the small amount of dirt.

"Don't worry. I know how you feel." He dumped the sponge into his bucket and raised his arms into a stretch. "It's confusing at first, but you'll figure it out sooner or later."

The blond wasn't sure if he should be surprised or not. 'He was straight once…' he reasoned to himself as shifted his eyes back to the soapy sponge in his hand. "Ok." He replied and wasn't sure if he should be glad that the red head didn't press on or give more advice.

After they were done cleaning off the dirt and other unmentionables, Axel picked up the hose and started to wash off the excess soap and grime. Roxas sat on the stairs of the entrance to the apartment with the two soap filled buckets beside him and watched with mild interest. His attention occasionally wondering off back to the first conversation he had with Hayner in a long time.

'Since when…?' he asked himself and sighed.

Axel noticed the sudden change in Roxas as he peered at him from the corner of his eye. 'I'm sorry I can't help you much. There are just some things you gotta figure out on your own.' He fought back a sigh as he sprayed his car with clean water, making sure he got into every nook and cranny before moving to the other side.

Roxas noticed movement coming from the red head and he turned his head to stare at him, although he was only barely concentrating. His mind was elsewhere.

The red head looked up to see the blond giving him a blank stare through his blue eyes, and he raised an eyebrow in question. His eyes shifted back to the hose in his hand and he vaguely wondered, 'I wonder what will happen if I…' a smirk graced his lips.

The blond suddenly felt wet, and he sputtered out in surprise. He looked up to see Axel waving innocently at him. "Whoops, sorry! My hand slipped."

"Your hand slipped…" he repeated while the red head nodded and went back to washing his car, although he kept a close eye on the blond.

Slowly, he stood up from his spot and picked up a bucket. "Your hand, slipped." He repeated, a smirk appearing on his face.

"H-hey, you better not. I just washed off the soap." He warned as he held up the hose in his hand.

Roxas scoffed and with one hand on the handle and the other on the bottom of the bucket, he let the contents fly. Sponge included.

The water splashed on the car and a good majority of it got onto the red head as well. The sponge innocently bounced off the car, then off the red head then landed on the floor with a wet splash. Axel stared at the blond with a dumbfounded expression and stared back at his car.

"Whoops." He smiled innocently, "My hand slipped." He offered lamely.

"If it's war you want, its war you're gonna get." He smirked as he held up the hose in his hand like a gun and pulled the trigger.

Roxas dropped the now empty bucket and ducked the shot, but Axel reacted to the blonds' movement and chased after him with the hose. The blond grabbed the bucket and tried to dodge the jet of cold running water but failed miserably. He ran to the back of the car and made faces at Axel through the window. Reacting to his taunts, Axel shot at the window, but Roxas laughed at him, ran out and threw the contents in the direction of the red head.

Axel, unable to get away in time, only managed to turn his body so that only his back would get wet. As soon as the impact was gone, he turned back to the blond, "You're out of ammo." He smirked and took a menacing step forward his sandal squishing in wetness, "Now you're just soldier with nothing but an empty gun to use." He took aim and fired again.

The blond laughed and ran behind the car for cover and Axel followed, eventually, after running around the car for another half cycle, the red head managed to get the car cleaned for the second time in less than one hour, the hose snagged and unhinged itself from the tap, a hard torrent of water gushed at the same spot on the ground. The sudden hitch made Axel trip over, and he landed on the wet concrete pavement with a hard thump, a black sandal shot up in the air from his foot.

Hearing the sudden fall, Roxas did a double take and rushed over the red head's side. "Hey, are you ok?" he asked worriedly as he bent over.

"Woah…" he felt the breathless. "Am I dead?" he stared at the blond through unfocused green eyes.

"No, you're not dead." He got down on one knee beside the red head.

"Are you sure?" he reached up to the blonds' shoulder.

"Yes, I'm very sure." He nodded once, never minding the grip Axel had on his shoulder.

"Because I see an angel leaning over me." He smiled and suddenly Roxas stood up and left him alone.

"Geez, you're so cheesy." He grumbled, not even turning around to make sure the red head was really ok or not.

"Hey, come on. Can't I get me some laughs??" he cried out as he gingerly rubbed the back of his head and watched the blond stalk towards the tap to switch it off. 'I think I broke a hip bone or something.' He winced as he leisurely got up, placing a hand on the door and using it as support.

With a violent twist, Roxas turned off the tap and remained in that position, back facing the red head, one hand on the tap and fingers gripping the cold, metallic handle.

As Axel got up from his spot and slipped on his stray sandal a few feet away, he slowly limped his way towards the blond. He knew that he had stepped over a certain border somewhere. "Roxas, are you ok?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm fine." He snapped, "I'm fine…" he repeated again in a softer tone, his grip on the tap loosening slightly. "I'm fine…" again, barely a whisper.

"You're not fine." He concluded. "Look, Roxas. Whatever I did, I'm sorry." He apologized.

"It's not you." He turned his head slightly, "It's not you…It's me."

The red head sighed. "Come on, let's go inside." The blond didn't budge, so he decided it would be better if he parked the car first.

When Axel started the engine, the blonds' head jerked slightly to the noise, but still remained rooted to the spot. A few short seconds later, the engine was killed and the car door opened and closed again. The alarm sounded and the wet squishing of sandals approached the blond.

"Roxas, let's get inside. I don't want you to get sick." He deposited the hose by the tap, picked up the buckets and waited for the said person by the stairs.

He squeezed the handle one more time before letting go and walking up towards the red head. "Ok." He replied solemnly and waited for Axel to go inside first then noticed the limp in his steps. He suddenly felt guilty. "You're hurt." He spoke numbly.

"Yeah well, I forgot that the hose has a limit." He chuckled and smirked as he pushed the button for the elevator.

The elevator sounded and the doors opened, the both of them stepped inside and Axel pushed the button for the fourth floor. The ride up, then the walk to the apartment was a quiet one. Then Roxas suddenly blurted out,

"Sometimes, I forget that you're bi."

Axel stopped midway of putting the house keys into the lock as he stared at the blond with raised eyebrows. "I guess that's understandable, I don't act like it sometimes." He offered with a smile as he opened the door and entered.

"How did you find out?" he remained rooted to the spot.

"Hmm? I dunno, it just sorta happened." He shrugged as he held the door open. "Now get in, it's bloody cold."

After a while, Roxas stepped inside and the red head closed the door behind him, locked the door in the process, slipped off his sandals then moved to the cupboard situated by the bathroom and placed in the two buckets on the floor.

"How did you react?" the blond asked as he shifted his weight from one foot to another.

"Eh? Oh, I dunno." He shrugged as he took out a white towel from the shelf and closed the door, "I guess I kind of just…" he walked up to the blond and offered him the towel, "Shrugged it off?" he offered lamely. "I don't remember to be honest."

"Did you tell anybody about it?" he gingerly took the offered towel and watched as Axel went into the bathroom and limped back out rubbing his hair dry with a blue towel.

"Not at first, but after a while yeah." He folded the towel then placed it on the couch before sitting on top of it and switching on the TV. "You take the shower first."

"But-"

"Oh look! Funniest home videos! Gotta love that show." He pointed to the TV and laughed as a man tried to play basketball with a pair of rollerblades on then promptly fell over on his ass. "Ouch, that's gotta hurt." He winced with a smirk on his face. "What are you still doing standing there?" he got off his seat and walked up to the blond, gently pushing him towards the bathroom.

"But shouldn't you-"

"No, no, I insist! Your clothes are still inside by the way." He shoved him inside then closed the door. After a few stunned seconds of silence, he heard the red head cackle with glee, "Freakin' idiot!"

He sighed as he proceeded to rid himself of the cold, wet clothes clinging to his body then walked over to the shower in only his boxers as he turned on the handle and tested the warmth of the water. Once the water was warm enough, he took off his boxers and stepped inside.

As he closed his eyes, the shouting words from Hayner flooded back into his mind, _"Because he's taking you away from me!"_ and he had to shake his head to make it go away.

He sighed and rested his forehead on the cold tile wall, hoping that the warmth of the shower would help wash away his worries, even for a little while.

"_I thought you would push me away! That's why I never told you!"_

He growled out in frustration and tried to concentrate on the water and for a moment, it had worked. Until the image of Hayner and the eyes that pleaded for understanding came back. _"You get it now, don't you?"_

He covered his ears in a feeble attempt to drown out his voice, "No, I don't get it. I don't get anything." He mumbled sorrowfully.

Roxas shut off the shower tap and stepped out, grabbed the towel and roughly dried himself off before getting changed. 'My boxer's still a little wet but I'll change out of it as soon as I get home.' He thought to himself as he pulled his shirt over his wet hair and got into his trousers. He then put the towel around his neck, picked up his socks and other belongings, reached for the door and opened it. 'I didn't even lock it…' he thought to himself as he continued to stare at the door knob. He shook it off then stepped out. "Axel, your turn." He called out as he went into the living room area to see the red head pointed and laughing his head off at the TV.

"Oh! That was quick." Axel continued laughing as he got off the seat, grabbed his towel and walked up to the blond. "I'll take that." He picked up the wet clothes from Roxas' hands and went into his room. "The hair dryer's in the second drawer by the book shelf, ok?" he spoke as he came back out with a pile of dry clothes in his hand and waited for an answer from the blond before stepping in the bathroom.

"Ok." He nodded as he dropped his socks by his shoes.

"Cool. Feel free to channel surf." He grinned as he disappeared behind the door.

Roxas had no intention of invading Axel's personal space so he opted for sitting on the couch and pulling up the towel in a sort of makeshift hood so that the back rest of the couch doesn't get wet because of his hair. He sighed and tilted his head back and stared up at the ceiling.

"What am I suppose to do? What do you want me to say?" he asked to no-one but himself as he closed his eyes and vaguely listened to the TV in the background.

He didn't keep track of the time as it flew past and he didn't notice the TV being switched off. What's more was that he didn't notice the slight shift in weight on the couch until a voice spoke to him and he opened his eyes to see a worried red head leaning over him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" His voice laced with worry and concern.

Roxas stared up at Axel through blank blue eyes, not even caring about the current position that they were in. "Not…really." He replied tiredly and sighed.

"Sometimes it helps to just let it all out." He offered as he continued to look into the blonds' eyes. His own green ones filled with worry.

"Probably," he smiled mirthlessly, "But I don't know what I'm suppose to be letting out."

Axel gave a small shrug, "You don't have to know, just say whatever you want. Even if it doesn't make any sense to you."

"I don't want to make you worry." He reasoned as he turned his head away and closed his eyes.

"It helps to share the burden. So then you won't be the only one suffering." He gripped the blonds' chin and turned his face to back to him.

"I'm not suffering." He opened his eyes to glare at the red head, not bothering to smack the hand away.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Fine, you're miserable, you're distressed, you're tormented, you're afflicted, you're troubled, need I say more?" he smiled in an attempt to make the blond open up.

"Axel, could you just take me home?"

"No, not until you-"

"Please."

The red head slowly closed his mouth, tilted his head down and sighed, "Fine." He then gently pushed himself off the couch, walked up to the doorway and tugged on his shoes. "I'm just trying to help." He spoke softly as he picked up the keys.

Roxas got off the couch, leaving behind the towel, walked up next to the red head and pulled on his socks. Once one foot was in a shoe, he softly replied, "I know…"

The ride back to the blonds' home was a quiet one, and as Axel drove, he couldn't help but glance worriedly at Roxas every once in a while as the blond stared out the window.

Once they got to their destination, it took a while for the blond to register that they were in front of the house before he slowly opened the door and took a step out.

"Mind if I give you a song?" Axel asked quietly and hopefully as he turned his head to watch the blond pause mid way of getting out.

"Sure." He replied, not even turning around to the red head.

Axel furrowed his eyebrows in worry, "A decade under influence, by Taking back Sunday."

"Ok, thank you." He got out of the car.

"No problem."

Without turning around, Roxas closed the car door and walked up to his house. Took out the house keys, opened the front door, stepped inside and closed it again without looking back at the red head.

After making sure the blond got inside, he turned his head back to the front and shifted to first gear. "Was…he crying?" he asked himself as he slowly drove off.

When the front door closed, his mother called out to him from the kitchen, "Roxas, is that you?"

"Yes, mum." He called out in as normal as possible.

"Welcome home dear, dinner will be ready in ten!"

"Ok mum." He tugged his shoes off and shuffled up the stairs. He walked up to the door that led to his room, opened it, stepped inside, gently closed the door then dragged his body towards his bed and fell on top of it and immediately fell asleep.

* * *

_He was running. To where, he didn't know. But all he knew was, he had to keep going. _

_Suddenly he tripped and four colored marbles fell out of his pocket as he landed in a soft thud. His hands outstretched in front of him to lessen the impact._

_He looked up and grabbed the one closest to him which happened to be the blue one and searched around for the others._

_He found them close by and as he stood up and approached them, he noticed that they were side by side to each other in a straight line._

_Confusedly, he stared at them. After a moment of silence, he bent down and reached for them._

_But slowly, one by one, the marbles faded away until only the red one remained._

_He looked at the red one, which was shining brightly in the darkness, then shifted his eyes to the blue marble which lay in his hand as dull as ever, losing its shine as though it was slowly fading away. But his grip on it tightened as he went to reach out for the red marble before it too, would disappear away._

_But before he could touch it, it cracked. _

_At first, it was only a small flaw but the closer his hand got to it, the bigger the crack grew until he yanked his hand back to stop it from breaking in half._

_He felt his breath grew shallow as he unwillingly looked at the blue marble in his hand. It was still in one piece, and for that he was thankful. He closed his eyes and sighed out in relief._

_Then a horrible noise was heard and he looked down in time to see the red marble shattering into a million pieces. He shielded himself as the pieces flew by him and scatter all over the floor._

_He took a step back, the broken pieces cracking under the pressure of his shoe. He felt his breath grow shorter as the seconds passed by and he forced himself to take a calming deep breath._

_Unwillingly, he looked at his enclosed fist. He could feel that the blue marble in his hands was still in one piece. Although he was afraid that if he opened his hand, it would crumble or fade away._

_But he decided to take a chance and he slowly opened his hand to reveal a dark, shadowy orb._

_Something inside it moved._

_He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, or if it was alive. But whatever it was, he didn't want it and he dropped it to the floor._

_It landed with a soft tinkle and rolled to the side a short distance away._

_He stared at the marble as the shadows within it moved. He bolted in shock when it quivered and trembled, then slowly absorbed the tiny pieces of the red marble and grew in size._

_He took a step back, and then another and watched in horror as the dark orb continued to absorb the other pieces and grow to an exceptional size._

_He held his breath as the marble shuddered and twitched horribly and took shape of a familiar person._

_He drew in a shaky breath as he stared at the form in front of him. Yellow eyes suddenly opened and stared right back at him._

_He took a step back and gulped in anxiety. The figure in front of him twitched its head to the side, while keeping its beady yellow eyes on him. _

_After a few seconds of silence, the dark figure twitched again then jumped, and they both fell to the floor in a hard thud. It ensnared his neck and proceeded to strangle him._

_He grabbed the hands that belonged to the dark shadow and tried to pry them off, but the claws dug deeper into his neck and he struggled to breathe. Fear crippled him, disabling his ability to scream and shout for help.

* * *

_

He fell out of his bed and landed on the carpet floor with a soft thud. Gasping for air as his other hand held onto his neck.

He could still feel the pressure of being strangled.

* * *

(On page 5) Don't ask me why but it was almost 2am in the morning and I was still trying to find a way to continue on writing. But my brain was so tired, I couldn't even form a coherent sentence for Axel and Roxas to say…Gosh, I'm so horrible. Lol. 


	50. Looking for Distractions

Wowza! Did you read that last chapter? Even _I _was freaked out! Man, oh man…I hope I don't have any dreams like that one…

Holy shit, chapter 50?! I think I'm going insane!! Everybody say it with me! WOWZA!!

**Soraslilangel** – Yes, that was a pretty depressing-ish kind of chapter. I'm surprised with myself, somewhat.  
**delayed-reaction** – Lols, yeah, I thought of it up when I was washing my sister's car. (Snorts)  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Lols, well, the dream sequence was suppose to symbolize something, but it was a bit vague.  
**WGreyB** – Aw, I know I shouldn't write when I'm tired, but lolls, I can't help myself. (Snort)  
**Erinicole12** – Whee! I'm still shocked that I have fans. That's something new for me. Like, totally. Lols.  
**Launch shinra** – Lols, yeah, poor Roxas. He'll have to do something about that. Anyways, you're not dense. Lols, I didn't describe the person very much so I didn't think anybody would get it.  
**The Mad Empty Shell** – Lols, I'm glad you think that! I'm actually sort of freaked out by that dream as well. Poor Roxas! Look what I'm making him go through!!  
**pride1289** – Oh EXCELLENT! You _sort_ of got the dream! Lols, you only got about 50 percent of it right though, but still! Good guessing my friend.  
**Hypothetical.Wonder** – Sniff, yeah, I accidentally made Roxas seem tired too, I didn't really mean for it though. Lols.  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Aww, get well soon! Drink lots of water and get lots of rest!!!  
**Ranchdressing** – Lols, (nod nods) I feel the same way. But it's so damn annoying when somebody HAS to tell you about it. Somewhat.  
**Malik's Bunny Mika** – Yeah, I know the story is getting far too long and far too old. So, that's pretty much why I'm sort of trying to make things move on a little faster. I was thinking of re-vamping the story as soon as it's finished.  
**mornir-brightflame** – Oh LOVELY! You _almost_ got it too! So close, yet so far my friend. Lols  
**Shadoom** – Hurk! That's a long review…And I have no idea where to start for the reply…But yes, I did sort of forget about the dream, silly me…But worry not, I haven't completely forgotten about it. And also for the suspense slash plot twist, I know what you mean! I have a nice idea, but I think it might take a while to pop up. Thanks though!! Oh, and your reaction about Hayner was hilarious too! I spat out my noodles…which made my keyboard icky…Oh, I think there's a few specks on it on my computer screen too.  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Lols, you didn't notice at all? Oh wells, worry not. I guess it wasn't that noticeable. Lols.

**Soraslilangel** showed me a pretty picture of Akuroku!! But I can't show you because it's mine to keep! Muahahah!! (Evil laughter)

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to her as well. Lols. Thank you Jessie!!!

* * *

He didn't see the red head that morning before class, and for that he was grateful. He was glad he didn't have first period with the red head, but he wasn't sure if he could handle second period with both Axel _and_ Hayner.

He took his time walking to English class and stopped short of entering the room. He was sure he was pretty much the last person to enter the class. Roxas took a deep breath and held it as he entered the classroom.

When he looked up, he wasn't sure if he should be happy that Hayner wasn't in class yet or not. But at least this meant he didn't have to worry about who he should sit next to.

As he got into his seat at the back of the class, Axel couldn't help but comment, "Man, I almost thought you weren't gonna come in today." He wiped away the imaginary sweat on his forehead.

"I don't normally miss class for no good reason." He offered as he placed his bag on the floor and took out his books and what not.

As Ms. Gainsborough started calling out names from the class roll, he shifted his eyes from where Hayner would normally sit and back to the door repeatedly. 'And it's not like him to miss class either.' He thought to himself as he started tapping on his book with a pen.

"Hayner." Their teacher called out but received no reply. When she looked up, she noticed that the said person wasn't there. "Does anybody know where Hayner is?"

Roxas jerked slightly at the mention of his name, and the red head couldn't exactly blame him.

"No?" she furrowed her eyebrows in worry as she received shakes of the heads from various students. "I guess he's a bit under the weather today then." She moved down the list to the next name. Once she was done with it she stood up and walked over to the TV. "Has anybody started on their speeches yet?" she asked happily as she clapped her hands together.

Roxas widened his eyes in surprise, he failed to notice the appliance when he first came into the classroom.

"No? Oh just as well, today we'll watch student speeches from the previous years." She moved to switch on the TV with a push of the button. "It's been graded as well, so you'll know what to do and what _not_ to do as we watch." She pushed the play button on the recorder and adjusted the volume. "Can everybody hear the TV properly?" she asked and when she received nods of assurance, she let the TV do the teaching and talking.

After a few speeches, Roxas concluded that the tape was surprisingly and horribly…embarrassing. Even for him. More than once, he wanted to thump his head on the desk and groan in humiliation.

There were the shy speakers who stutter and mumble out their speeches. There were the exaggerators and the people who acted like they were performing a play or whatever. There were even some who had props with them like capes and swords and what not.

'Do they even know they were being recorded?' the blond asked himself, tearing his eyes away as the speeches went on. He couldn't handle watching them anymore.

As educational as it may be, he deemed it inappropriate and just down-right shameful or in other words, mortifying. 'This embarrassment should last me about a week or so.' He decided to ignore it and concentrate on his own speech for the moment.

He wasn't surprise that Axel was actually enjoying the show of people humiliating themselves for the greater good. Sometimes a snort, a chuckle and maybe even a scoff or two were heard from the red head.

He had his pen poised in between his fingers, hovering just above the blank piece of paper. He didn't know where to start, and inspiration for him was hard to come by these days. But he was determined to get something done. So, he started writing whatever first came to mind.

He was so engrossed in his writing, he didn't even notice the sound to signify the end of class. Not until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Yo Roxy, I know you're a nerd but that's just pushing it." He smirked as the blond look up from his work.

The blond merely snorted and rolled his eyes as he started packing away his belongings. Just before exiting the room after the red head, he stared back at the seat that his use-to-be-just-best-friend would previously occupy and he vaguely wondered what happened to him.

His worry for Hayner only lasted till the next day when the dirty haired blond return and pretended as though their talk on Tuesday had never happened before and proceeded to ignore Roxas and treat him as though he never existed in the first place.

In an attempt to rid him of his anxiety, anger and depression, he forced himself to work as hard as he could during class and talk as much as he can during interval and lunch. After school when he's not with either Axel or Sora, he would drive himself to complete his computing assignment as well as his speech and other pieces of homework from the day.

He didn't manage to go to bed till 4am on Thursday morning.

"Holy shit…" was how the red head greeted him that morning before school started. "I think you need this more than me." He smiled weakly as he offered the blond his hot cup of coffee.

"No thanks." He murmured out as he numbly took out his English books and gym clothes, double checking to make sure he's got the right stuffs before closing his locker.

"You sure?" he gently shook the cup from one side to another in front of the blond, careful not to spill a drop.

"I'm good." He yawned as he slowly walked to their first period class, careful not to bump into anybody.

Once they got into the class, he was more than happy to sink into his chair and rest his head on the desk. 'Just a few…minutes.' He promptly fell asleep.

The red head smirked and shook his head as he took off his jacket and covered the blond with it. "Sweet dreams Roxy."

When he woke up, there was a substantial amount of drool on the desk. His cheeks flushed in embarrassment as he took the offered tissues from Demyx and started to wipe away the evidence of his sloth.

He was never one to actually fall asleep in class before. But he felt somewhat refreshed and he was sure he wouldn't be doing that again anytime soon.

Thankfully, they were only running around the field for gym class today.

It was a simple task. No need for thinking, no need to push yourself to the limit, just mindless jogging. At a comfortable pace, mind you.

Their physical education teacher was off 'gallivanting somewhere' as claimed by their substitute teacher, Luxord. And the blond man was too lazy to order them around in the sun. So he merely told them to 'run around the field a few times' and proceeded to sit in the shade with a good book in hand. "Can't believe I have to spend my free time out in the sun." he commented as he opened the book to a marked page and started reading.

Roxas was starting to get into the pace of jogging when the red head thought that it would be fun to see who would get to the finishing line first.

"It's not a race Axel." He breathed out as he continued running at his own pace.

"Ugh, I hate running. It's so damn boring." He threw his arms up in the air before running with a slouched back almost parallel to the ground.

"Keep your back straight, you're gonna end up being stuck in that position permanently if you don't stop now." He panted.

The red head smirked but complied. Running with both hands behind the back of his head beside the blond. "So, what time did you get to bed last night?"

"I dunno," he shrugged. "I was working on my homework."

"You must've gotten to bed pretty late if you needed to sleep in during first period." He smirked, noticing the increase color on Roxas' cheek.

"I went to bed at 4am, there, you happy?" he replied reluctantly, trying to fight back the sudden heat on his cheeks. 'Must be the sun.' he reasoned.

He whistled out in awe, "Damn."

The blond didn't supply him with another reply as he continued to jog around the field. The rest of the period was spent in silence, with the occasional whine coming from the red head about it being boring and what not.

"Come on, just one race." He begged as he continued jogging at the blonds' pace. There was roughly five minutes to go before they had to return to the gym locker rooms to get changed.

"Do you _want_ me to collapse during third period?" he let out an exasperated sigh.

"You can sleep all you want during interval," he smirked. "Let's just run the last two hundred or so meters, ok?"

"Why don't _you_ run the last two hundred and I'll just walk it."

"It's more fun if we both gun it. Come on," he nudged the blond. "What d'ya say?"

The blond sighed then suddenly bolted off. "I'd say I'm already half-way there!!" he called out as he laughed.

"Hey!!" he cried out as he ran after the blond and easily caught up to him.

Roxas collapsed on the grass as soon as they got to the finish line while the red head used his knees as support. "Hah, I win." He breathed out.

"You've got…longer legs than me." He panted, "It's not fair."

"You're just being a sour puss." He smirked as he nudged the blond with one shoe.

The rest of the day passed by relatively quickly, with only one scolding coming from their science teacher due to the blonds' lack of concentration, which caused a beaker to overflow with a horrible purple looking solution, but other than that, everything else was fine.

As soon as he got home, he fell on top of his bed and slept through till the next morning.

He went to school feeling very sick because he ate too much for breakfast due to the fact that he skipped out on dinner last night in order to catch up on sleep.

"Ok, yesterday you were sleep deprived and today you're absolutely green with sickness." Axel commented during break.

"I am…not in the mood." He slurred out as he grabbed his stomach while placing his other arm on the tree for support and forced himself not to throw up.

The red head sighed as he started rubbing the blonds' back in an attempt to calm down the queasiness.

"Thanks…" Roxas managed to say after a few minutes.

"That's what friends are for right?" he replied with the usual smirk.

For the first time in a while, the blond felt extremely grateful. Of course, that gratefulness didn't last too long, especially when Axel 'accidentally' poured in too much of a particular substance into the beaker that wasn't up to the correct temperature yet when his back was turned to write down their progress.

The next thing he knew, the room flashed and a loud 'boof' was heard and it took all of his energy not to snap the pencil in half.

"Axel…what did you do…?" he asked, careful not to turn around.

The said person coughed, a small amount of black smoke came out of his mouth as he tried to rub the soot away from his face. "Nothing." He laughed nervously.

He sighed tiredly as he looked up from the book to see Vexen tapping his shoe on the ground. "Roxas-"

"Yes sir. I know." He replied immediately and moved away to clean up the mess.

For fourth period, he handed in his visual diary plus other scraps of paper he used for the assignment, including website references as well as a floppy disk where his assignment was stored.

His teacher, Vincent, was mildly impressed (although he hardly showed it) at the amount of work that the blond had put in then commented, "Not even half of the class handed in half the amount you just gave me." He spoke then neatly placed it to one side of his desk where all the other assignments were. "You've got your name on everything correct?"

"Yes sir." He nodded once and waited for the teacher to dismiss him.

"That's good to hear." He stood up, walked up to the board and started writing on it. Roxas took it as a sign that he can sit down in his own chair now.

Once Vincent was finished writing on the board, he went back to his desk and started reading through the assignment and proceeded to mark them with a red pen.

'To those who haven't finished your assignment, you have until the end of the period. To those who have finished, you have free period.' Was written on the board and Roxas felt his shoulders relax.

He spent his time doing positively nothing but occasionally talked to people who approached him because they too, finished their assignment.

Then the bell rang and he moved to pick up his bag and get out of class. He was halfway of going to his locker when somebody yanked him and dragged him to the opposite direction.

"H-hey!" he cried out when he turned around to see a grinning Axel. "Would you mind?"

"Come on, come on! They're gonna close the door soon!" he continued to forcefully pull Roxas through the crowded hallway.

"Huh? Who? What?" was all he could manage as he blindly followed the red head.

They got to their destination within minutes and as soon as they got in, a certain boy with a mullet slash mohawk closed the door after them. "Glad you could make it!" he smiled as he pushed the panting blond and red head towards the food table. "Help yourself to pizza and soda."

"You dragged me all the way here for pizza?" he breathed out as he allowed his bag to drop on the floor.

"Anybody could sniff free food from a mile away, that's why I had to get you here a.s.a.p." Axel grinned as he picked up a large slice of cheese and pepperoni pizza and took a big bite out of it.

After a while, the blond raised himself to his full height and scanned around the room. He saw Demyx chatting animatedly to Zexion, both with a cup of fizzy goodness in hand.

He shifted his eyes away and saw Sora waving at him while eating a piece of pizza and beside him was the silver haired boy drinking soda.

Not too far off was Kairi talking to that blond girl he'd often see around the art room and the rest of the room was occupied by other people he hardly knew.

"In case you were wondering," the blond turned his head back to Axel, his mouth half full, "I was allowed to bring a friend along."

"Oh, I see." He nodded in understanding. 'I can see why Kairi and Sora are here now.'

"Here," the red head held up a box of pizza in front of his face and motioned for him to take one.

"Thanks" he took a slice, pulled off a piece of pepperoni from it and ate it. He did that for the rest of the pizza until all the pepperoni was gone then proceeded to eat the whole thing.

"What was that?" the red head laughed.

"What?" his mouth half full of cheesy dough.

"You have a weird way of eating pizza, did you know that?" he spoke as he poured himself a fizzy drink then one for the blond.

"I've always eaten pizza like this." He reasoned as he took the offered drink

"You pick off all the little toppings then eat it like that?" he pointed at the bare pizza.

Roxas looked at the slice in his head, looked back up at the blond and nodded. "Yup."

"And here I've always thought _I_ was weird." He shook his head with a smirk on his face as he took a sip of the drink while the other hand grabbed a paper towel.

When the last bell of the day rang, everybody practically jumped up and whooped for joy.

"Yes! Finally! The holidays!" Demyx exclaimed in happiness and stretched his arms above his head. "We gotta celebrate!"

"It's only a two week break, nothing out of the ordinary." Roxas reasoned as he dunked his books in his bag while their teacher called out to the students that were leaving class.

"Don't forget that your speeches are due on the first day back!!"

"Guess not, but you know." The dirty haired blond guitarist smiled as he scratched his cheek. "I can finally sleep in till 12 in the afternoon everyday for the next two weeks." His grinned as he imagined waking up to that late afternoon sun.

"You just slept half your day away." The blond spoke as he tried to pack away his things but the red head continuously took them back out.

"Sleep for 12 hours, stay up for 12 hours. It's completely balanced." Demyx grinned as he rested his cheek on his palm.

"You only need about 8 hours of sleep. Axel, would you stop that?" he finally smacked the said person's hand when he got fed up with the red head's antics. Axel merely grinned.

"We should totally have a party at my place." He straightened his back as he gripped his chin in thought. "Or, or, we could play poker with Luxord again." He started waving his arms around. "Or!" he suddenly cried out but the slate haired boy managed to shut him up with a nuzzle of his nose to his neck.

"I think you should calm down, Demyx." He spoke as he wrapped one arm around the dirty haired boy's stomach.

He smiled as he placed his hand over Zexion's own. "So much to do, so little time." He sighed happily.

Axel did a double take and looked as though he was gonna retch. "Eww, I don't wanna know what you guys do in your free time." He teased with a smirk then turned to face the shorter blond. "So, Roxy. What are _you_ planning today?"

"Ah…nothing?" he was about to get up from his seat when the red head pulled him back down.

"Good! Then you can hang out with us a little while longer."

"I have a bus to catch with Sora." He tried to get back up again but the red head pulled him down again, a little too forcibly.

"Surely he can go home by himself hm?" he still kept a firm grip on the blond boy's arm.

Just when he was about to stomp on the red head's foot to make him let go, a certain brunet boy rushed into the room.

"Hey Roxas! I'm hanging out with Riku and Kairi today! You can go home by yourself right? Ok, see ya!!" and then he was gone.

"Oh would you look at that? How convenient." Axel couldn't get rid of the Cheshire grin on his face. Just as he turned to face the blond, his face visibly grew darker as his grin became more menacing.

'I sense an impending doom upon me…' Roxas thought to himself as he forced a smile to grace his lips.

Somewhere along the way, Axel managed to ditch Demyx, Zexion and the gang. He didn't exactly want them to ruin his and Roxas' 'together time' as he likes to put it.

So now, they stood in front of a certain shopping complex and the blond wasn't sure if he should be surprised that there're so many shops in one spot or be afraid that he might get lost, since it was his first time in the area and he had no idea what bus to take home in case he _did_ get lost.

He could always phone Axel, but there's still a possibility that his phone might run out of batteries. He checked it just to make sure. Or if it gets stolen. His grip around it tightens. Or if he gets bumped into and then he drops it and it breaks. He decided to put it in his pocket for good measure.

"Explain to me why we're here again?" Roxas asked as he fell into pace with the red head.

"I dunno, the place just opened up recently, so I thought we should check it out." He shrugged as he shifted his eyes around from one shop to another.

"Uh huh…" he raised an eyebrow incredulously as he allowed his eyes to peer into the shop windows.

They continued on walking and window shopping until they reached the center of the mall. "Oh wow…They have a cinema here too?" Axel stopped in the middle of the walkway and stared up at the list of 'Now Showing' movies.

"Why am I not surprised?" Roxas asked rhetorically as he looked up as well. A few movie titles caught his eye and he made a note to see it in the future, if he could.

"Ooh! Let's watch that one!!" he pointed to the screen but before the blond could see what they might be watching, he was already being pulled towards the escalators that led up to the movie theater.

"What are we watching?"

"That one! The one that ah…" he waved his arm around to help speed up his memory. "Kiss me or something."

"Huh?!" he cried out as he stepped on the escalator after the red head then shifted his eyes over to the poster nearby, "Oh, you mean Kismet?"

"Yeah, yeah that one." He still had a hand around the blonds' arm.

"But that's a romance and comedy film." He pointed out at the poster that had its genre printed at the bottom corner. "I never figured you to be the kinda guy to watch a romance film. Comedy, sure." He shrugged. "But romance?"

"Hey, I should be entitled to watch whatever I want." He stepped off the escalator and continued to drag the boy towards the counter. "Hey look! It's your lucky day," he finally released the blond and pointed up to the illuminated board hanging on the back wall where the prices of movie tickets and food items were. "Combo A includes large popcorn, two small frozen coke and two sea salt ice creams. And only at $15. Not bad, not bad." He nodded his head in agreement.

"Next please!" the girl with long orange hair behind the counter waved at them.

"Two student tickets for Kismet and the combo A please." He proceeded to take out his wallet.

"ID please?" the girl asked as she pushed in a couple of commands on the computer. Eyebrows furrowing in concentration.

"Oh, yup." He slipped out his ID card and showed it to her while Roxas dug his own out from the bottom of his pocket and flipped it open.

"Ok, thank you." She pushed another button and allowed the tickets to be printed out and proceeded to fill a large tub with salted, buttered popcorn, once she was done, she placed the box on the counter then moved to get two cups of frozen coke and then went to the ice cream box to take out two sea salt ice creams. "That'll be $35 please."

"Yup." He handed her two twenty dollar notes and picked up the ice cream and gave it to the blond to carry.

"Thank you, enjoy your movie." She gave him his change and then the movie tickets which Axel then gave to the blond again. "Hold these for me will ya?" he spoke as he stuffed in the five dollar note then picked up the cups of frozen coke with his hands and using his arm to pick up the popcorn.

"You need any help?" Roxas offered as he followed the red head.

"Nope, nope. I'm good. What cinema are we in?" he asked as he maneuvered around the crowd.

"Ah…" he looked at the paper, then flipped it the right way around, "Cinema 13." He read out.

"Ok, sweet." He smirked as he got up the escalator that led up to cinema 1-8 then got up the other escalator which eventually led up to cinema 9-16.

They walked up to the movie attendant who was a boy with dark hair and rectangular glasses. "Tickets please." He spoke nonchalantly.

Roxas handed over the ticket, which was then ripped in half and then the half which contained the name of the movie, the price at which it was bought at and the cinema number was returned. "Cinema 13." He motioned for them to go on in and pointed to the room at the far end.

"Thank you." They both spoke at the same time and carefully (on Axel's part) walked up to the door and went into the semi-dark room. "Do you see any good seats?" Axel asked as he scanned around the room and noticed a free row close to the back. "Oh! Never mind." He led the way and was careful not to spill any coke or popcorn.

Once they settled into their seats, the red head placed the coke in the cup holders on the right side and relaxed. "Damn…"

"Here." The blond handed the ice cream to the red head and proceeded to pull off the clear plastic wrapper.

"Thanks." He gratefully took the offered ice cream and ripped off the wrapper as well.

Before the movie even started, they were both done with the ice cream and moved next to devour the not-so-frozen coke and munched away on the salty, buttery popcorn.

Once the movie started, the popcorn was eventually left forgotten on Axel's lap.

Midway of the movie, a bit of chemistry between the two main actors was formed and the red head noticed something about the blond.

He would shy away from the kissing scenes. Frankly, Axel found it sort of cute. In an innocent kind of way and he couldn't help but smile.

After the movie was finished and the credits started rolling, Roxas made a noise of disappointment. His frozen coke was nothing more than coke which wasn't really coke but diluted coke and it wasn't even fizzy anymore.

"Cheap con-artists…" he murmured as he finished the rest of the drink and threw the empty cup into the rubbish bin along with the popsicle stick.

The red head chuckled, "Help me finish the popcorn." He had grabbed a handful and started eating it bit by bit. It was only a third finished.

They spent the rest of the afternoon hanging around the cinema on its comfy black, leather chairs and tried to finish the popcorn.

"I think I'm off popcorn for a good few months." Axel struggled to finish the last couple of handfuls of said food.

"You and me both." The blond burped behind his hand.

"Excuse you." The red head laughed and Roxas joined in.

* * *

I feel so…out of character. Suddenly I feel as though my whole entire happiness got flushed down the drain or whatever. Sigh…(Talk about mood swings…)

I know I should be happier, but I just wanted to share this small moment with all of you. Because, well…We've been indirectly talking to each other for over half a year right? Yeah…But anyways, thanks for reading my random notes and everything else.


	51. Wake up call

In my weekends, I sleep in till twelve in the afternoon, then I play games till six at night then I update my story. Lol.

In my weekdays, I sleep at 1 or 2am or some ungodly hour at night, wake up for class, come home, play games for a couple of hours or less then spend the rest of the night updating the story till 12 or 1 or 2 or whatever.

Yup…that's the story of my life. Hoorah…

**Soraslilangel** – Lols, aww I'm sorry. And dude, you're suppose to be laughing _with_ them.  
**mornir-brightflame** – Aww, it's so sweet of you to say! It makes me truly happy!!  
**Erinicole12** – I have cheered up!! But I'll probably go stressing about things again. Lols.  
**pride1289** – Yay! Another DDR player!! Woot, woot!! I can only play on standard though, lols, I suck.  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Lols, I sometimes eat pizza like that, only if I'm in the mood. But if I'm really hungry, I just eat it straight away. Lols.  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – We have vanilla ice cream covered in chocolate here, but it sort of sucks…You're not missing out on too much. Lols.  
**WGreyB** – Aww thank you!! Yeah fifty chapters is a lot isn't it?  
**Amicably Apathetic** – Lols, it's ok. I'm sort of lazy in that department too.  
**Plain Jane Is A Vampire** – Gasp, you don't know what a fruit flan is? I'm SHOCKED! Well, simply put, it's sort of like a quiche, except it's sweet and it's got fruits decorated on the top! Lols. And your review on chapter 14 totally made my day. But I'm sure you'll change your mind later on in the chapters. Lols. And also, I think the real spelling for kapeesh is actually capiche! That's what I think, but I'm not too sure. And oh my gosh, you don't know who Vincent Valentine is? I'm so shocked!! He's the guy from the game Final Fantasy 7 and the movie Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children and he's got a new game called Dirge of Cerberus! You have got to be kidding me if you don't know who he is!!!  
**delayed-reaction** – Lols, I was in the mood for pizza too when I was writing out the chapter.  
**Ranchdressing** – Oh, I had a rough day in uni. But don't worry, everything is a-ok now!  
**Hypothetical.Wonder** – Well, Roxas _did_ try to make everything ok between them again, but you know, Hayner is just too stubborn.  
**Malik's Bunny Mika** – Lols, you'll get your wish soon enough my friend. Soon enough.  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Aww! Thank you for saying so!! Lols. I enjoyed writing it as well as you enjoyed reading it.  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Lols, Roxy is so adorable like that, don't you think? Lols. Thanks for sticking with me this far!  
**Launch shinra** – Ah! Rough day at work?! Those days really suck! Don't use a butter knife though, a hear a spoon is more effecting, (snorts)  
**Conductor of Darkness** – Ack, going downhill? Oh noes! Must keep pushing forward and climb that mountain!!  
**soraXxXriku** – Oh opps, you know how the d is right next to the s, I can't help it if I accidentally miss it by a letter…Lols…But thanks for pointing it out.

* * *

'What's that…?' Roxas thought to himself, on the verge of falling back to sleep and waking up. 'Not yet…I'm too tired.' The tune continued playing regardless of what he thought.

And then it stopped.

He let out a soft, contented sigh and shifted to a more comfortable position on his bed, keeping in as much warmth as he could.

Then it started again.

His cracked one eye open, looking around with hazy blue eyes as he tried to pinpoint the source of that noise. Then he groaned and shifted his position again, pulling the covers over his head in an attempt to drown out the music.

Finally it stopped, but before he could let out another sigh of relief and drift back to sleep, the invariable noise of plastic on wood sounded and echoed around his room. Once, then a second time.

And it repeated again, and again until finally he had enough. He threw his covers off, picked up his phone and was extremely tempted to just throw it out the window.

But it was an expensive piece of item, so he decided to just throw it on his bed instead. It bounced off the mattress and landed softly on the edge of his pillow.

He glared at it as it stared back innocently, then the screen illuminated, vibrated softly and noiselessly on his bed and the words, 4 new messages screamed at him.

He groaned and rubbed his face with his hand, in an attempt to wake himself up, then ran his fingers through his unruly blond hair.

Reluctantly, he walked over to his bed, picked up the phone and sat on the edge. He yawned as he pushed the button to bring up the inbox.

The first one said, 'You have one new message in your voicemail, please phone 813 to listen to your message.' He skipped to the next message, which said the same thing. In fact, all of the received texts said the same thing.

Then he dialed a number, pushed the correct buttons and listened disinterestedly.

"Good morning Roxy! Are you awake yet? Guess not. Why didn't you pick up the phone huh?!"

The message ended and the next one started,

"Roxy!! Do you know what day today is??"

The said person sighed, "Yes I know what today is…" he smiled despite his somewhat sour mood and listened to the next message.

"I wanted to take you to see the sunrise again today, but you said not this week, so I figured I should let you sleep in for another hour or so." Then he heard a chuckle. "Yeah, I'll phone you again later."

He was more than a little surprised when he listened to the next message.

"Roxas! I love you! Marry me!!" he almost choked in shock, then he heard a rumble on the other side, "Fuck! Gimme back my damn phone Reno!" Roxas finally laughed in understanding. "You are always on my mind!! You're always on my mind." He heard the older brother sing into the phone and a few other curses from the other red head before the message was cut off.

"Great, they're both morning people." He shook his head and hung up. He was about to move out of his room into the bathroom to do his morning routines when his phone rang again. He answered it and heard the red head panting very heavily.

"I…finally got my…phone back…from Reno."

"Yeah, I can tell." He grinned as he walked out of the room towards the bathroom.

"So, ah…" he heard something banging on the other side and a muffled, "Dammit! I wanna talk to Roxas too!!" then a muffled shout that probably came from Axel. "Get yourself a boyfriend Reno!" and he heard a whine. "Sorry, that was my brother being an idiot."

"Hm…must run in the family." He commented with a smirk as he placed the phone in between his ear and shoulder and squeezed out some toothpaste onto his toothbrush.

He heard the red head sputter in indignation, "That's just plain rude."

But the blond merely brushed it off as dramatic again, "So, what's up?" he asked, picked up the phone from where it was and started brushing his teeth.

"Since today is Saturday, I figured that you'd probably go grocery shopping with your brother and mum again."

"Mmhmm." He replied, his mouth full of bubbly toothpaste.

"So I was wondering that I'd meet you-What is that noise?"

Roxas spat out and talked as clearly as he could into the phone, "I'm brushing my teeth." He replied then went back to brushing.

"Oh, yeah anyways. I'd thought it would be a good idea to meet you at that supermarket again. That good with you?"

"Shior." He held the phone away as he spat out again.

"Sweet, it's a date then." This comment made the blond sputter and accidentally swallow down a small amount of toothpaste.

"Are you trying to choke me?!" he cried out into the phone as he turned the tap on.

"Hey, _you_ were the one who took it seriously." He laughed.

"Ugh, whatever." He scoffed and proceeded to wash his toothbrush and wash his mouth out. "What time is it?" he asked when he was done and walked over to the towel to wipe off the excess water from his face.

"Ah, about…7.45 ish."

"You…literally only gave me another hour of sleep." He gritted his teeth together as he walked back to his room.

"Heh. I was bored."

"Couldn't you, oh I dunno, bother your brother or something?" he waved his hand about as he closed the door and sat back on his bed.

"I did, as soon as I got up."

'That's not really something you should be doing though…' Roxas thought as he felt his eye give a small twitch.

"But I got bored, so I thought I'd ring you up." He rambled on.

"How thoughtful of you…" he rolled his eyes, but the red head laughed. 'Doesn't he know sarcasm?'

They spent the rest of the morning talking about whatever came to mind. Up until he had to leave to go grocery shopping, but even then they still talked to each other because the red head insisted he'd die of boredom if he didn't talk to Roxas for even a span of five minutes.

"Mum, I forgot to check if we've got anymore orange juice!" he called out to his mother how was halfway down the cereal aisle as he held up a bottle and waved it to her.

"It's almost finished! Put it in the trolley."

"Ok!" he started walking towards her, "What do you mean you don't know anything about speeches. We just watched a tape of it yesterday." He spoke into the phone as he placed in the bottled juice.

"Well, yeah! But, it's harder than I thought it would be."

The blond sighed as he walked out of the aisle into the next one. "Did you do _any_ speeches last year, or the year before that, or the year before that year?" he asked as he rubbed his forehead.

"No…I kind of…flunked all of them." He had the decency to sound guilty about it.

"Ok," he sighed exasperatedly. "How about we meet in the library and start on it before I have to go to camp. I'm assuming you're not going?" he hoped that he was wrong.

"And you are one hundred percent," the blond slumped his shoulders dejectedly. "WRONG!" and he had to hold the phone a good arm length away to save his hearing.

"You're going?" he sounded pleasantly surprised.

"Of course," he spoke in that know-it-all voice, "I wouldn't know what to do without you for a week."

"I don't know if I should be happy or scared." He smirked as he watched his brother hold onto an armful of items. "Anyways, about that speech. Meet in the library?" he asked again to confirm.

"Sure, why not. The sooner the better right?"

"Right." He nodded his head once, grabbed his brother's shirt and hauled him back. "And what are you doing with six boxes of microwavable food?"

"Um…They're on…offer?" Sora offered lamely.

"Put them back. You haven't eaten the macaroni yet."

"But it's 3 for $5!" he cried out, but Roxas' features didn't change. Then the brunet jutted his lower lip out and proceeded to do his infamous puppy dog pout.

The blond rolled his eyes, "No. Put, them, back, now." He repeated and watched as his brother frown and shuffle back to the frozen food section.

He heard a whistle from the phone, "Damn…you're one horrible brother, lemme tell you that." He heard the red head finally speak.

"It's for his own good." He smirked.

After their shopping was done and his mother dropped him off just in front of the library, he silently berated himself for forgetting to charge his phone the night before.

It went dead just minutes ago.

Upon entering the building, he scanned around the tables and bookshelves for that familiar head of spiky red hair but failed to find anything remotely close. He sighed silently and went up the elevator to the next floor. Then up the next floor, until he was on the very top level where nobody occupied.

He suppressed a shiver as he started walking and looking around for the red head. Eventually, he found him, and as he got closer, he could hear his music blaring from the ear pieces.

Since there was nobody around, but he looked again just to make sure, he decided it was safe to speak in a normal level. "You're gonna go deaf if you keep listening on that level." He warned.

The red head paid no attention as he continued to nod his head and tap his shoe to the music.

"Axel." He frowned. "Axel." He raised his voice a little bit more.

And when the red head paid him no heed, he yanked away the ear piece and shouted into his ear, "AXEL!!!"

The said person jumped off his seat and nearly tripped over in surprise. "Holy shit, Roxas! You're gonna make me go deaf." He held a hand over his ear.

"You don't need any help going deaf." He held up the ear piece, "You're fine doing it on your own."

He then smirked, "Yeah, sorry. I couldn't stand the silence." He switched off the mp3 and placed it back into his pocket.

"Well, you could've occupied yourself with some work." He spoke as he took the seat opposite the red head.

"I could…but I didn't know where to start. And it's not even for the lack of trying!" he cried out, glad he made the good choice of coming to the very top floor where nobody ever went to. He could shout and scream as much as he wanted here and nobody would even know or care. '…Sounds murder material…' he shuddered.

"At least you brought your bag along." He applauded the red head. "Ok, let's get started. What do you wanna talk about?"

"Ah, speech-wise? Or-"

"Speech-wise of course." He rolled his eyes as he rested his cheek on the palm of his hand.

"Ah well…I don't…know?" he offered lamely.

"I'm not writing out the whole speech for you."

The red head furrowed his eyebrows in thought then finally jumped out of his seat. "I got it! I'll write it out when I get home." He started packing away.

"No," he smacked a hand over the book that Axel had moved to put away in his bag, "Write it out now, or else you'll forget. Plus, I'll read it and check for mistakes and whatever."

"I don't want you to read it…"

"You're gonna eventually say it out to the whole class you know." He pointed out.

"Even so…" he remained defensive about it.

Roxas stared at the red head, dead panned. Then finally he let go of the book. "Ok, I won't read it but you have to write it out now."

"Ok." He grinned and set out to work, careful to make sure that the blond didn't peek.

After a few minutes of silence, the blond decided to get up and look around for something to read. "I'll be back, just gonna get a book."

"Alrighty then." He waved him off.

After randomly searching around, he eventually came back with a book on the play, 'The Crucible' and started reading it.

The whole floor was filled with nothing but the sound of pencil on paper and paper being flipped to the next page. Sometimes, he'd look up to see Axel's thump his head on the book before looking back up and writing in his book again.

'I need music…' he thought in his head and looked up in time to see Roxas staring.

"You can listen to your music if you want, just keep the volume low." He suggested as he flipped to the next page.

'Did he just-' he looked up in surprise, then answered in a normal tone. "No, I'm good without it." He lied expertly.

"Are you sure?" he raised an eyebrow in question.

He nodded, "When I'm with you, I never listen to my music." He grinned as he rested his cheeks on his knuckles.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"That's because I want you to have my undivided attention." He continued to grin innocently.

Roxas wasn't sure if he should laugh about it, snort at what the red head said, or roll his eyes like it was something Axel would say everyday.

He chose option D. Which was to blush and act like an idiot, "Ah…"

"Speechless? Yeah, I have that affect on a lot of people." He complimented himself and smirked.

Roxas tried to scoff, but it came out more like an extra puff of air and he quickly averted his eyes back to the book. The red head looked amused.

The rest of their time at the library was spent in relative silence, with the occasional question that arose from the red head every once in a while.

A couple of hours later, as soon as Axel finished up his speech, they arrived in the city centre, and browsed through the shops and whatever peeked at Axel's interest and curiosity.

"What do you think of this pair?" the red head asked as he pointed at a particular earring.

"I don't know, I don't wear earrings." He was indifferent about it.

"You should get your ears pierced."

"What? No!" he cried out, "That's so-Only ga-, right never mind." He huffed.

Axel merely grinned at the flustered state that the blond had put himself in. "Don't knock it till you've tried it." He smirked as he continued to look around the display. "I like this one." He pointed to a particular pair and Roxas peered at it.

Axel hummed as he tapped his chin, "I'm not sure if it's supposed to be a roman numeral for ten or the letter X. But I think it works out both ways." Then he looked up at the shop attendant. "Could I get a better look at this one?"

"Of course." She nodded with a smile and unlocked the case, brought out the pair and held it out to the red head.

"Thanks." He picked it up and stared at it for a good minute.

"They're just a pair of studs Axel…Not a freakin' diamond ring…" he rolled his eyes and looked away.

"True." He turned to face the blond and grinned, then looked back at the lilac pig-tailed haired shop keeper. "I'll take these please."

She then proceeded to punch in a few buttons on the cash register and then suddenly remembered something, "It's two pairs for $15 by the way, would you like another?" She motioned at the vibrant yellow sign near by.

"Oh. In that case." He smirked and went back to look for another pair.

Roxas let out an exasperated sigh which the red head blatantly ignored and instead motioned him to come closer. "Yo Roxy, check this out." He pointed down and the blond searched around.

"Which one?"

"The blue and red yin yang over there." He poked at the glass in an attempt to point it out. It was a long earring with the item dangling at the very end. The girl noticed and immediately took it out.

"This is a perfect gift for couples." She held them up together then pulled them apart. "The red one for the girl, the blue one for the boy." She smiled happily. "Or they could be for two good friends, or siblings or just for yourself."

"Cool. I'll take 'em."

The girl seemed to shine with glee, "Would you like them together or in a separate bag?"

"Oh, separate please." He nodded and watched as she proceeded to carefully wrap them up in a thin piece of wax paper then into their own individual gift bag, then started wrapping up the first pair of earrings he picked.

"Here's twenty. Keep the change." He grinned as he picked up the three bags and gave her a curt wave.

"Thank you!" she cried out happily after them.

"You're positively generous today." He brought up apathetically as he followed the red head out of the shop.

"I am extremely happy, that's why." He spotted a bench and went over to sit on it. He opened the bags and peered inside as though he was peeking at his Christmas presents a day early. "Ok, here. You take the blue one." He handed Roxas a gift bag.

"Huh? What are you trying to imply?" he asked in shock, but still reached out for the gift regardless.

"In celebration of our second week of friendship."

The blond wasn't sure if he should scoff or laugh his head off, but he settled for a smile as he sat down by the red head. "Thanks."

"That's what friends are for right?" he grinned. "Happy second week anniversary."

"Man, you are _not_ gonna drop it, are you?"

"Nah, I figured it'll catch onto future generations." He smirked as he rested his arm on the back rest of the chair, just behind Roxas' back.

By the time the blond was dropped off back at his house, it was just minutes before his curfew. And as they taunted, joked and said their goodnights, Axel called out to him just before the blond stepped inside his house.

"Don't forget to charge your phone tonight. I'll be ringing you in the morning." He smirked as he saluted the blond and drove off.

He wasn't surprised that the red head phoned him still far too early for his liking and was patiently waiting outside for him to get ready and grab something for breakfast.

"As much as I appreciate the early morning call and free food plus your company," The red head laughed as the blond spoke, "I appreciate sleep even more."

"Not much of a morning person, are ya?" he chuckled as he shifted to the next gear up.

"_You're_ too much of a morning person." He grumbled as he rubbed the sleep away from his eyes and yawned.

Somewhere along the way, he fell asleep with his head bowed down. Lucky for him, he didn't drool or else it would've been good black mail material for the red head. But he could always bring up that _tiny_ incident that happened during English period the other day.

Once Axel found a good car park and turned off the engine, the blond stirred in his sleep and slowly woke up. "Are we there yet?" he yawned and tried to stretch in the car seat.

"Yup." The red head grinned as he rested his hands behind the head rest. "But if you want, you can snooze a little more." He offered with a side glance.

Roxas was actually contemplating if he should or not, but decided that he'll get more out of the day if he woke up now, not that it would make much of a difference if he decided to sleep an extra ten minutes or so.

"Nope, I'm good." He scratched the back of his head as Axel moved out of the car then followed soon after. "You still feel like waffles?"

"Nah, I'll go for pancakes today."

He finally had the energy to muster a scoff, "Pancakes, waffles, what's the difference." He asked rhetorically.

The red head turned to the blond, raised a finger, "I'll have you know-" and was about to make a point when he couldn't find one. "I actually have no idea…" he finished lamely.

Roxas snorted, "And here I thought we were gonna start a debating session."

"We can always debate about something else." He smirked as he held the door open for the blond. "After you."

"Thanks." He took a step inside the familiar building and was soon pounced on by a familiar girl.

"Roxas! I've missed you!!!" Rikku continued to give the blond a bear hug and the blond tried to push her off while fighting down a furious blush.

"Nice to see you too, now get off!!" he cried out and finally the bubbly girl released him.

"I thought you don't do hugs." The red head gave a half smirk, half scowl.

"I don't! She just completely violated my personal bubble!" he had his hands up in case Rikku wanted to pounce on him again.

"Aww, that is so sad. After I didn't see you for almost a week, this is how you greet me?" she feigned sadness.

"Ah…it's been a busy week." He reasoned, still keeping his hands up just in case. "But what about Axel? I'm sure you haven't seen him in almost a week too." He nudged his head and waited for the blonde girl to give the red head a bear hug as well. But it didn't come.

"Oh, Axel?" she made a quick motion with her hand. "He's been coming almost every other night. Makes me so depressed that he came without you." She sniffed and wiped away a fake tear while the red head merely rolled his eyes.

"Right…" he didn't believe a word of that last sentence.

"RIKKU! DO YOUR FREAKIN' JOB!!" A rough voice sounded from the kitchen.

"Yes Captain Cid!" she saluted and immediately picked up two menus from the podium. "Your usual seats?" she smiled and led the way without waiting for an answer.

Roxas kept his eyes on the bubbly girl as he took a seat.

"Our breakfast specials are chocolate crepes, yummy. And pancakes with gooey strawberry syrup and strawberries. Doesn't that sound delicious?" She grinned as she handed each of them a menu. A bell was heard from the kitchen, signaling her to pick up the meals to give to diners. "I'll be back in a jiffy! Kupo!" she skipped away.

"Damn…" he looked as though he was about to drool. "Good day for pancakes. I'm getting the strawberry pancakes. What about you?" Axel didn't bother to open the menu.

"The crepes sound really nice."

"Then it's settled. We'll get the breakfast specials and two cups of orange goodness." He held up two fingers as he leaned on the table top.

"Yup, as soon as Rikku gets back." He fought back a yawn.

Suddenly, the red head slammed a fist on the table, jolting Roxas just a tad mind-way of his yawn, "Oh right! I remember what I wanted to ask you."

"Eh?"

"I was gonna ask you when we were on the way here," he scratched his cheek as he turned his head to face out the window but still kept his eyes on the blond, "but you fell asleep." He smirked.

"Ok, what is it?"

Almost immediately, the red head grinned as he moved his hands to his ears and pulled away his hair. "What cha think?"

He was wearing the earrings he bought yesterday.

Roxas smirked and leaned back on his seat, "X marks the spot."

"I knew you'd like it." He released his hair and it flopped back to place.

"Well, I didn't have much of a say in the matter. You would've bought it anyway." He pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

"True. After all, it _is_ my favorite letter."

"Yes, yes." The blond smiled as he shook his head. "Because it's in-"

"Both your name and mine." They finished together.

"Aww! You guys are finishing each other's sentences! That is so sweet!!" the waitress came back and swayed her body from side to side.

Roxas blushed while the red head merely laughed it off.

"RIKKU! GET BACK TO WORK!!" Cid cried out from the kitchen again after his 'slacking off' senses tingled.

"Yes Captain Cid!!" she yelled back with a laugh then pulled out her trusty pen and pad.

* * *

(On page 4) Somebody was at my door, so I opened it to find my sister's boyfriend holding up a couple of takeaway boxes in a plastic bag. "Dinner." He said and I took it, "Oh, ok thank you." And when he went back downstairs, (he lives in that 'extra' room) I closed the door and scanned the contents and immediately started eating the veges. (I haven't eaten any veges for over a week and it's safe to say that I've missed them immensely…) Strange huh?

(On Page 9) Hehe…I drew a nice little picture that had both Axel and Roxas wearing the earrings. Unfortunately, my photo shopping skills down right suck, why did I bring this up? Oh, only because I felt like it. Lol.

(On Page 11) Fuck, I am getting hungry just thinking about those pancakes and crepes…Damn Rikku…

Oh yeah, shit, I never noticed that I hit past the 700 review mark. Lols, I love you guys!!


	52. Hazy Dreams

Oh my god…I'm starting this chapter at 12am…That's just great. Lol. But DAMN! I want some drama in this stupid story!! I wish I could jump time skip a few god damned chapters ahead and get right to the fucking point! Guh!

Ok, I'm done. Read on. Lol.

**Ranchdressing** – I dunno if V8's counts as a vegetable substitute though. Lol.  
**Soraslilangel** – I had to do an internal monologue speech for that book…I hated it but it's been stuck in my head since last year…(cries) oh the drama…  
**delayed-reaction** – I had to do that book for English too. Those teachers are evil aren't they?! Lols.  
**astra.zox.it.ee** – It's ok, I know how busy some people can get. Lols. But anyways, I enjoy updating at a regular (ish) pace. It sort of gives me a bit of order in my messed up life. (Snorts)  
**Leixra** – Lols, I'm really amazed by the reactions I got by mentioning that book. Lols.  
**mornir-brightflame** – Aww, I'm happy that the update brightened up your day!!!  
**pride12890** - Kyaa!!! Really?? That's so fucking awesome!! I can't wait to see it!!  
**Erinicole12** – I'm glad you like it!! I liked the earring thing and phone conversation with Reno too, made me laugh out loud.  
**The Mad Empty Shell** – Lols! Incest! That's kind of scary in a funny way. Damn. I sort of liked the play, it was dark and it had a lot of hidden meanings and blah, blah and I'll stop sounding smart now. Lols.  
**Malik's Bunny Mika** – Aww, I didn't take _that_ long to update did I? I hope not. Lols. And yes! I had a (tiring) fantabulous day thank you very much! Lols.  
**WGreyB** – Lols, I wanted to go to a pancake shop, but I realized that there wasn't any around anymore…Oh the pity…  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Ah the difference between pancakes and waffles are, waffles are crunchier and pancakes have a softer texture. Lols. Yummy…  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – At least you have breakfast, Lols. I leave the house as soon as I wake up and get ready for uni. (Snorts)  
**soraXxXriku** – Lol, I got told off for trying to buy 2 for 5 bucks, imagine Sora trying to buy 6, lols. Instant comedy.  
**Launch shinra** – Lols, a fork would hurt a hell of a whole lot. Yeah, use a fork, don't wanna bend the poor spoon eh?

Thank you all for the 40k hits!! I don't know where I'll be without you!!

* * *

"Axel! Nice to know you'll be joining us for the youth camp!" a familiar man approached the red head shortly after ending the service with a word of prayer.

"Yeah, it's been a while since I went traveling, so now's a good time eh?" he chatted with the older man as though they've known each other for a long time.

"That's the spirit!" he gave Axel a hard pat on the back. "Make sure you pack for cold weather. We usually get rainy days on camp. Sometimes even frost!"

"Snow?!" the red head cried out.

"Not _snow,_ snow. Just those cold mornings that make the windows go icy."

"Oh, ok." He nodded in understanding.

"Also, I was wondering if you'll be driving your own car to camp."

"Yup, I sometimes get a little motion sickness if I'm not driving." He reasoned as he made a slight face.

"Oh no, that's fine. I was just wondering if we could use the boot of your car, just in case the vans run out of space for luggage."

"Sure, I don't mind. If you want, I can give two or three more people extra rides." He offered, just for the sake of being nice. Although he was pretty reluctant about it. 'Say no, say no, say no…'

"That's not necessary," he waved his hand from side to side, 'YES!!' Axel celebrated in his head but kept his face straight. "I've booked to hire two vans and their trailers, so I'm more than sure we have enough space for the kids. It's just that we always run out of space for the bags!" he started laughing and Axel joined in, surprisingly, it didn't sound as forced as it seemed.

"Ah you know, people like to bring extra things along with them." The red head reasoned. "I'd often do the same thing for school camp."

"True, but we won't be the only churches going to camp, and there's always the problem with thieves and what not."

The red head made a face of surprise. "Really?"

Geoff nodded his head sadly, "Unfortunately. We're human after-all. Not exactly perfect."

"I see, I see." He nodded his head in agreement. "Always some form of temptation around huh?" he wiggled his fingers.

"Glad you understand." He patted the red head one more time, "I'll see you at 9am sharp tomorrow!" then left to see to the other parents.

Axel waved and as soon as Geoff was gone and out of ear sight, he darted his head around for a certain blond who had ditched him just as the older man started talking to him. 'Why that little…' he growled in his head. 'I'll get you.'

He found him outside with his brother and the silver haired boy. "Roxas." He gritted his teeth as he put on the only smile he could muster.

"Hey! You're not dead!!" he joked as he pointed at the red head.

He stalked up to the group. "Yeah, no thanks to you." He was extremely tempted to just thwack the blond on the head, but instead he harshly whispered out the next bit, "That was just about as worse as that last time when I accidentally swore in front of everybody!"

Sora gasped, laughed and pointed at Axel, "I remember that!!"

"Wow, you actually swore during church?" Riku smirked.

"I wouldn't have if I didn't forget about that stupid 'extra' step." Axel quoted with a scowl.

"You're just making up excuses." The blond smirked as he folded his arms. "If you didn't swear so much, you wouldn't have blurted that word out when you tripped." He stated all-knowingly.

"Oh yes, I am _so_ sorry." He apologized sarcastically. "I'm sure _you_ would swear if you accidentally tripped over." He stuck his tongue out in scorn as he folded his arms.

"You wish." The blond rolled his eyes.

They had to cut their meeting short because they had to go back to their respective homes in order to pack up for camp, but that didn't stop Axel from pestering the blond by continuously ringing him.

"Should I bring insect repellant?" the red head asked as he held up a can. He ignored the expiry date. It probably didn't matter much.

"Sure, but I don't know if it'll work or not."

"Well, it doesn't hurt to be extra careful." He tossed the can into a large black bag and went out of his room towards the cupboard and took out two towels. "Do you think two towels are enough?" He stared at the items he held before tucking it under his arm and reaching out for another. "Ah, I'll bring three, just in case." He smirked as he placed the phone between his ear and shoulder and tried to put the towels into his bag neatly.

"I usually just bring two."

"How cold does it get down there?" he asked curiously as he reached up for the phone then strolled up to his drawers and pulled them opened with the other hand.

"Pretty cold, especially the mornings."

"Yeah, Geoff mentioned something like that." He pulled out a couple of sweaters and frowned at them.

"On a first name basis already huh?" the blond joked.

"He insisted." Axel sighed as he went over to his closet and searched around for a few jackets to bring along. "But I digress," he smirked, "Cold enough to be shivering your pretty little ass off?"

He heard Roxas grumble, "Yeah, I guess you could put it that way."

The red head chuckled and went over to his drawer, tossed into his bag a pair of black cotton gloves, a black cotton scarf then pulled opened another drawer and threw in a few pairs of socks then another and chucked in a couple extra boxers.

"How long does it usually take to get to that camp?" he asked as he stared at his bag and tried to think of what else to bring. He already packed a few shirts, trousers, and sweaters. He'll put in his toothbrush and toothpaste tomorrow morning. 'Oh right, shampoo...' he walked to the bathroom and picked up a half empty bottle of body wash and an almost empty hair shampoo.

"Hm…" the red head carelessly threw in the bottles and sat on his bed. "Usually about three hours including lunch break." He smacked his head and groaned.

"Three hours?"

"It use to be four, until we found a shortcut." He heard the blond laugh.

"I guess three hours is fine." He scratched his cheek and looked at his book and paper cluttered desk. 'I should bring a sketch book…'

"Oh, don't forget your sleeping bag and pillow too. You have one right? A sleeping bag I mean."

"Of course." He smirked as he picked up a blank sketchbook and a metallic pencil case and placed it on top of his black bag then walked over to his cupboard, opened the door and pulled out a small black sleeping bag.

"Anyways," he went back to the subject on time management, "we usually have a few pit stops because there's always the odd case of people suddenly feeling the need to have ice cream or whatever."

"People like you?" he smirked as he threw the sleeping bag by his camping bag.

The blond scoffed. "No, I mean, I don't complain or anything, but I don't mind a stretch."

"Yeah, and the ice cream counts as a bonus eh?" he teased as he placed a hand on his waist.

"Of course." He laughed, "Ice cream counts as a bonus on any day."

"Oh shit." He suddenly cursed as he smacked his forehead.

"What? What did you do??" he sounded worried with an undertone of accusation.

"We forgot to eat ice cream yesterday." He sat back on his bed and laid down.

There was a slight pause before the blond asked, "Is that all?" Axel could hear the smile in Roxas' voice.

"Yeah, after you're done packing, do you wanna go grab a bite to eat?" he asked, feeling his lips tugging up in a smile as well.

"Axel, it's three in the afternoon. Don't tell me you didn't eat lunch."

"Ah well…" he trailed off, "I _did_ eat breakfast though." He reasoned.

"Yes, and that was well over six hours ago." He pointed out with a voice that was less than amused.

"I can totally go for 40 hours without food." He smirked as he patted his stomach.

"That's not something you should brag about." He heard the blond sigh. "I'm almost done with packing, what about you?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." He smiled as he pushed himself off the bed. "Oh, gotta bring my charger along just in case."

"Ok, I'll see you in ten?"

"Yup." He grinned as he walked out of his room towards the front door.

Even then, they didn't hang up.

After the red head finished his lunch at the usual café, they went ahead to the super market and bought a box of sea salt ice cream. They now sat on that same bench located not too far away and leisurely ate the ice cream.

Of course, Axel always made a face during the first bite or so.

"Still not use to it huh?" Roxas laughed as he took another bite out of it.

"I will, eventually." He glared at the ice cream as though it was challenging him and he started gnawing on it. Then a thought occurred, "Hm…" he stared at the light blue substance in front of him. "What do you think of sea salt slushies?" he asked as he tapped his chin.

Blue eyes lit up with childlike enthusiasm. "Good idea, I wonder why nobody's thought of it yet."

"What can I say?" he shrugged with a smirk, "I'm a genius."

Roxas was able to successfully snuff out the snort, "If you're such a genius, I'll leave it to you then." He grinned slyly.

"Ah…" he scratched his cheek, "I'd do it, but I have neither the time nor resources to make it." He offered lamely.

"There's two more sea salt ice creams here, just crush it up in the blender or something." He tossed the red head the remainder who caught it awkwardly while still holding onto the popsicle stick. "There're your resources, I'm sure even _you_ own a blender at home."

"But, but." He stared at the bag in his hand back to the blond again.

"As for the time, we have the rest of the day."

Axel scoffed half heartedly.

"Let's go before the ice cream melts." He smiled as he stood up and walked away, the ice block only half eaten.

It took a while before the red head realized something, "Hey! You are _not_ eating that ice cream in my car!" he called out as he chased after the blond.

It was just a little after five in the afternoon by the time they got to the apartment. The car was still clean, only because Axel didn't want any ice cream stains on the seats.

"I don't even let _Demyx_, my _best _friend, eat in the car." He reasoned as he pushed the key into the lock and swung the door open.

"The ice cream is already half dead, no thanks to you." He argued back as he followed the red head into the apartment.

"Oh well, it's gonna be all crushed up anyways. Less damage on the blades." He smirked as he walked around the counter to the kitchen and searched through the cupboards for the blender.

"True, I suppose." He gave in, but he still quirked up an eyebrow as he stared at the light blue liquid in the corner of the plastic bag. "You're lucky this bag doesn't have a hole in it, or else your car would've been messed up." The corner of his lips tugged up slightly.

"Found it!" he was now on his knees reaching into the back of a particular cupboard.

'How far does that go in anyways?' Roxas thought to himself as he tilted his head just a bit as he looked at Axel's back. 'And, why am I looking?' he blushed and quickly turned his head away.

"Yes." He pulled out the item, got back up to his feet and propped it up on the table. "Now we're cooking." He chuckled as he plugged the switch into the wall, but didn't turn it on yet. He took off the cover and sniffed the inside of it and jerked his head back in repulse, "Ah…might need a bit of a wash first." He smiled sheepishly as he turned to the sink and gave it a thorough but careful wash. He didn't bother to dry it up as he placed it back on without the cover.

"The ice cream is wet anyways." He reasoned as he placed both his hands on the table and stared at the blond who was now sitting on the chair on the other side of the countertop. "Ok, how are we gonna do this?"

"Ah…" he held up the bag and stared at it. "Put it in the blender and switch it on?" he offered as he brought the bag up to the table and placed it down.

"Right." Axel nodded, took out an ice cream from the box, peeled off the wrapper, knocked the stick on the side of the blender and watched as if fell off. "Well, that was easy." He grinned as he did the same for the other one, placed the cover on it and pushed the button to pulse it. "Don't want it _too_ smooth. Not a smoothie you know?" he smirked as he continued to push the button repeatedly until it got to the right consistency.

Roxas nodded his head as watched, resting his chin on the top of his fist. "Not bad, not bad."

Suddenly, a grunt was heard from somewhere near the bathroom and both Roxas and Axel looked up to find the red haired brother scratching the back of his head. 'Shit…' Axel cursed as he watched his brother walk clumsily around the apartment closer to the kitchen.

"You guys are fucking loud, you know that? I'm trying to sleep here…" he grumbled as he yawned and paused midway when he noticed the blond boy. "Ho…" he grinned slyly as he lost his sleepiness in favor of mischief. "You're Roxas."

"Yes…we've met before." The blond nodded his head as he watched the red head come closer.

"I suppose, but I wouldn't count that last encounter as a meeting." He smirked, "So why don't we start over?" he leaned on the counter top and ignored the look of suspiciousness coming from his younger brother. "I'm Reno."

"I know." The blond nodded again.

Axel was extremely happy with the way that Roxas was acting towards his brother.

"Oh, come on. Humor me." He leaned in closer to the blond.

The blond drew his head back, "I think you need to brush your teeth…" he tried not to be rude by waving his hand to make the somewhat foul smell go away but decided to scrunch up his nose slightly instead.

Almost immediately, Reno withdrew his head and covered his mouth. "Oh shit, sorry."

Axel was snickering behind his hand, trying his best not to flat out laugh his ass off.

Roxas smirked. "It's ok. But seriously, that's one really bad morning breath you've got." He commented and the red head behind him was now hitting the table as he cackled.

Reno had the decency to blush as he grinned embarrassedly. "Right, catch ya later yo." He gave a curt wave as he stepped back and strolled to the bathroom then closed the door.

"And he still has the balls to make an exit." Axel shook his head as he finally regained his composure.

"Yeah, uh…Axel?"

"Hm?" he raised his head and gazed into the blonds' eyes.

"The slushie has left the building." He smiled as he pointed at the blender.

"Oh shit!" he returned his eyes back to the forgotten dessert and grabbed his head. "Man, Reno distracted me."

"Don't put the blame on others." He laughed as he watched Axel try to save the watery blue substance by dumping in a whole tray of ice. "You're gonna make it lose its flavor that way you know." He pointed out.

"Damn…" he gave the blender one more go before deciding that it was futile, "It just doesn't work out for me." he gave up as he fell to his knees and thumped his forehead on the table side.

"It's fine." He hopped off the seat and walked around into the kitchen. "Where're the cups?" he asked as he lightly kicked the red head on the foot.

"Top drawer to the right." He pointed in the general direction as he gave his head another thump.

Roxas rolled his eyes as he opened the cupboard door and noticed that the cups were on the top shelf. 'I can totally reach it.' He challenged himself as he stood on his tiptoes and reached for a plain white cup.

Axel turned around just in time to see a bit of mid drift due to the blonds' shirt riding up. He smirked, enjoying the look of concentration from Roxas' face.

'Got it.' He smiled to himself as he lowered a cup down and reached up for another one, but Axel reached in before him.

"I'll get it." He smirked as he easily took a cup out. "You looked like you needed help."

"Help with getting a couple of cups out of the cupboard?" he snorted. "Yeah, thanks a lot. That required _so_ much from me." He spoke sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

"You _are_ a bit on the short side after all." He reasoned, accepting the somewhat hard punch from the blond.

Axel placed both cups on the table and poured in the use-to-be ice cream. "Looks like a martini drink." He grabbed his chin in thought as he stared at the item. "Too bad you're under-aged." He teased.

"It's not actually alcoholic, idiot." he watched as the red head reached for a cupboard, "Besides, _you're_ under-aged too." He pointed out.

"Damn." He snapped his fingers. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice." He smirked as he pulled out a couple of straws and stuck one in each cup. "Anyways, drink up." He picked up his cup and the blond followed suit.

"Cheers." Axel smirked as they brought their cups together in a melodic chorus before taking a sip out of it.

* * *

_Roxas opened his eyes, scanned his surroundings then promptly let out a noise of absolute frustration before sitting himself down on the floor._

"_I give up! I give up!" he was greeted by silence, "I wave the white flag." He raised his hand, made it look as though he was holding something and waved it around._

'_So what, you're just gonna quit?' the voice sounded angry and hurt at the same time._

"_No, I meant I'm sick and tired of fighting with you all the time." He let out a sigh, "Can we please start over?"_

'_How?'_

"_I don't know," he shrugged, "You introduce yourself, I introduce myself, we get right on to the point."_

'_Is it that easy…?'_

"_Probably not but it doesn't hurt to try." He smiled a little as he placed his arms behind him and leaned back. "I'll start." He brought his hand up to his mouth and cleared his throat, "I'm Roxas. I would offer my hand to shake, but you know." He shrugged with a wry smirk._

'_I'm…Nobody.'_

_The blond snorted, "Nobody, right. Yeah, so I've been talking to _nobody_ all this time?"_

'_I don't remember ok?' the voice sounded aggravated and stressed._

"_Ok, ok. Why don't we call you…" he gripped his chin in thought as he searched his mind for an appropriate name. "X?"_

'_X…?'_

"_Yeah, you know. X for an unknown." He explained although he couldn't even convince himself._

'_Alright, X it is.'_

"_So X, now that we've been formally introduced, let's move on." He cleared his throat again, "If I remember correctly, you asked for my help and I promised to help you yes?"_

'_Yes.'_

"_Ok, and if I remember correctly, you were on the verge of telling me what you needed help with, but my dream was rudely cut short so I didn't get to hear it. But, again, if I remember correctly, you don't remember what you needed help with yes?"_

'…_Yes?' the voice replied slowly and carefully._

_Roxas laughed, "Let's start again, what made you think you needed help?"_

'…_I've been having these weird dreams lately.'_

"_Excuse me? _You've_ been having weird dreams lately?" he stared up incredulously._

'_Right, I meant that I've been having weird thoughts lately.'_

"_Uh huh. Continue." He waved his hand in a rolling motion._

'_I've been thinking, a lot, you know. Sometimes I remember, sometimes I don't. And in the middle of it all, I forgot everything.'_

"_You forgot…everything…?" he didn't sound convinced._

'_Yeah, it's like, one minute I know what I want, the next, I completely forget.'_

"_Ah, I guess I sort of understand." _

'_Um…' there was a nervous laughter, 'This is so awkward, I don't know what to do.'_

"_Just do or say whatever comes natural." Somewhere from the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of something red and yellow, blue and green. "What was that?" he turned in the direction of where he saw it, but there was nothing there._

'_What was what?'_

"_I thought I saw something." He started to feel insecure all of a sudden and he quickly got up to his feet._

_He remembered his last dream he had. It involved those colors, and suddenly he wanted to wake up. "If that you was trying to scare me, then congratulations, you've scared me." He tried to joke but found it utterly humorless and grim._

_He waited for a reply, but received none, and that was when he really started to panic._

"_X?" he spun around wildly, even though he knew he wouldn't be able to locate the said person, "X, you're seriously freaking me out here." He turned around again and saw the haze of colors._

_A haze of mixed red and yellow, a haze of mixed blue and green._

_The mist slowly floated up towards Roxas who suddenly found that he couldn't move away. He tried to call out again, but his voice was stuck in his throat. The colors revolved and surrounded him, slowly making his vision blur and his consciousness slip away._

_He didn't even know if he ever hit the floor.

* * *

_

He woke up with a start and for a moment, he forgot where he was.

"Roxy, wakey, wakey. We're at your place now." A familiar voice spoke to him and he turned to the source, and almost screamed out in terror.

He saw red, so much red, reaching out for him and it frightened him. He bolted away from his seat and knocked his head on the window of the car. He ignored the dull pain that echoed in his head.

Axel stared at him and wondered if it was something he did. He retracted his arm.

The blond stared at him, his lips twitched up into an awkward smile and he started laughing weakly and awkwardly. The red head continued to watch Roxas carefully and with a look of worry.

"Are you ok?" he finally asked.

"Y-yeah. I'm ok. I-um…I just had a nightmare that's all." He relaxed into his seat and reached up to the back of his head and rubbed it gingerly.

"Was it about me?"

"About you?" he snapped his eyes to the other and asked in confusion.

"Yeah.

"No."

"Then why did you freak out when you saw me?" he asked, his voice was strained trying to sound normal and keep the hurt out of it.

"I freaked out because…" he looked away for a moment, "I was freaked out because of your hair." He mumbled out as he sank into the comfy seat of the car.

"My hair?"

"It's red."

"Yes. My hair is red."

"Sorry."

"It's ok. I can dye it to a different color if you want." He grinned.

He turned to the red head in disbelief, "I never-Just because-It's just a nightmare!" he finally cried out. "Don't have to take it seriously. It was just a nightmare." and tried to imagine him with hair of a different color. "You look better with red hair anyways."

"Was…that a compliment?" he smirked.

"No." the red head deflated, "It was a statement."

Axel smiled and then reached over to mess up the blonds' hair.

* * *

(Starts crying horribly) AXEL!!!! (Sobs) I can't believe he died…Faded away, whatever. He's gone. GONE!!! (Sniffs) Sora!! I hate you for making Axel use his entire being into that one attack! Even if he doesn't actually _have _a being, but I digress. You should've just gone into Final Form and killed all those nobodies/dusks and level the damn thing up! EFF YOU!!! (Takes a deep breath and calms down a little) Yes, I was just…watching that…cut scene…When Axel…d-…d-…d-… (Starts sobbing again)

And then there's the stupid dream, I don't even know what that's about anymore. Well, I sort of do, but I also sort of don't…Guh…

I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!!!!

Yes I'm a drama queen. So sue me. I have the right to be dramatic at any given time. (HMPH!!)


	53. Kupo? Kupo!

Last chapter was absolute shit, shit, fucking shit, double shit, triple shit, fucked, fucked, fuckity, fucked, fucked, fucked.

Can you see how pissed off I am at it? I'm sure you do…(Note the sarcasm)

**mornir-brightflame** – (Starts crying…) I hate myself for those stupid dreams…And you didn't sound like you enjoyed it much. I'm so sorry. I am inferior! (Sulks in a corner)  
**Plain Jane Is A Vampire** – Aww, it's fine. You can always Vincent up on the internet. Lols. The dream sucks, and Sora sucks even more. I don't hat him per se, but it's just…SO SAD THAT ROXAS IS GONE!!!!  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – (Snorts) It's just you. I think he was just being over friendly. I don't normally eat breakfast. I'd feel sick if I do…Don't ask me why, it's just my stomach being unreasonable.  
**Soraslilangel** – Lol, dude. Double yuu tee eff…  
**pride1289** – Lols, sorry if the dreams confused you. Don't worry…All will be explained soon…Sooner or later.  
**WGreyB** – OH! SEA SALT ICE CREAM _DOES_ EXIST! You can buy them in Disney land or something, something. Lols. I'm really, really, extremely happy that you like the dream sequence, I sort of hated it with a passion…  
**The Mad Empty Shell** – Kya! Sorry! I didn't know it was your birthday!! (Epp!) Happy belated birthday!! (Kya!!!) But yeah…I really feel sad about the shitty ending that Roxas and Axel had…Damn you Nomura!  
**KitsuneFun** – Sniff, oh the sadness that love brings! Why, why, why!!! Omg, I'm so depressed thinking about it now! WHY TETSUYA!! WHY?!  
**Ranchdressing** – Oh man, that's so depressing! I seriously cried the first time around Axel faded away and my sister thought I was going crazy and emotional! Lol…(Sniffs)  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Lols. I'm glad you found it at least a little bit interesting.  
**Malik's Bunny Mika** – Lols, I love Reno too, he's funny and a nice comic relief. I don't know who hates Akuroku…They should open their eyes more!!! SEE THE WONDERFUL PASSION THAT IS AKUROKU!!! RAWRS!  
**Hypothetical.Wonder** – Yes! I completely agree! If it's not on time, it's better late than never! And yeah, some guys with earrings are cool. (Drool)  
**Boofeh** – Yes! I am SO HAPPY that I bought myself a DS!!! I can't wait for the bloody game to come out!!  
**delayed-reaction** – (Ack!) Sand flies! I don't know which is worse! Fleas or sand flies!!! Omg, it's an epidemic!  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Oh noes! You is gonna disappear? That maketh me very sad…But I guess I'll see you whenever. Lols.  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – That really got me depressed like crazy. I think that was when I started reading fanfiction. Lols.  
**Launch shinra** – Dude, I sort of hated camp. I was victim to a lot of flea bites…It sucked…  
**Wonderofthebrokenheart **– Lols, no I think of Roxas as a separate person and I'm just a stalker watching their every move. Muahaha…  
**Hypothetical.Wonder** – Lols, I'm sure Axel noticed, I doubt that Roxas noticed at all. Silly boy…  
**soraXxXriku** – Lols, calm down my friend. Sometimes it's ok to be rendered absolutely speechless. Lol, but your review made me happy!  
**Pink** – Lols, thank you for your review! The mother isn't really an important character, I only included just a very basic image of her, like blue eyes, long brunette hair and…yeah…You get what I mean right? Oh wells, I'll have to keep that in mind for future reference.  
**Kiyomiko** – I wish Roxas had his own heart!! I wish Axel had his own heart too!! EVERYTHING IS SO FUCKING RETARDED NOW!!! WHY?! WHY, WHY!!!!!  
**Impiety** – So you're telling me, what took me months to get up took you merely two days to read? That's so…UNBELIEVABLE!!! In a good way. Lols.

* * *

It was a cold morning, and as a certain red head lay on his bed, he couldn't help but wish he could go back to sleep. He let out a low growl as he threw his covers off, swung his feet over and sat on his bed while trying to rub the sleep away from his eyes.

'Monday morning is a complete and total drag. No shit...' he yawned and sniffed as he pushed himself off and walked towards his door, almost tripping over his camping bag as he did so.

He tiredly ran his fingers through his hair in a horrible attempt to comb it down as he stumbled into the bathroom and proceeded to do his morning routines.

Just as he was finished and was about to go back into his room, he made a small u-turn and remembered to pick up his toothbrush, toothpaste and other necessities for the camping trip.

He decided to bring along the mint flavored mouthwash that he and his brother share.

As he changed out of his sleeping shirt and shorts, his alarm clock rang and he quickly shut it off. He wasn't in the mood to listen to any high pitched ringing, not that anybody ever was.

He peered outside his window and noticed the morning fog and involuntarily shivered.

When he was done changing, he picked up his bag that was by the door and placed it on his bed, putting in his toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash and other toiletries into a small compartment on the inside of it.

He swung his black bag and sleeping bag over his shoulder, and his pillow tucked under one arm and looked around the room one more time before leaving to go pick up Roxas. But when his eyes shifted to a bit of cable that was sticking out of the second drawer, he immediately went over to it, pulled the drawer opened and took out the hairdryer.

He then rolled the cable into a neat pile, unzipped his bag and stuffed it inside.

'Phew…Lucky I saw it before I left.' He thought to himself as he scanned around the room one more time. 'Don't wanna walk around with wet hair.' He reasoned as he ran his tongue over his teeth, still tasting the mint flavored toothpaste.

He nodded his head and stepped out of his room, walking into the kitchen and writing a note for his brother saying that he won't be home for a week so he better not thrash the fucking apartment.

He read the note over again one more time before deciding it was good enough. Then he added, 'P.S - I have my phone with me, so call me if there's any emergency.'

He stuck it on the front door where he was sure Reno would see it and left the apartment. When he opened the door, a cold rush of air greeted him and made him shiver slightly. He closed the door, locked it then made a slight dash for his car. When he arrived to the car, he opened the boot and threw his bags and pillow in without much thought then went over to the driver's side and hopped in. He stuck the keys into ignition, turned it on and immediately cranked up the heater and waited for his car to warm up before leaving for the blonds' house.

His fingers were numb and cold and he regretted not taking out the gloves from his bag and putting them on before throwing it into the boot. But he was feeling lazy now and he didn't want to leave the comfort of his car.

He scratched his neck as he pushed the clutch, pulled into first gear and drove off as quietly as possible.

He turned down the heater then turned on the radio and listened to the chorus of the newest hit and subconsciously nodded his head to the tune. It took about roughly ten minutes to get to Roxas' house.

Just as he turned a corner into the familiar road, he decreased his speed and shifted to first gear. And just as he stopped in front of the blonds' house by the driveway, he couldn't contain his surprise when he saw that Roxas was already outside waiting for him with a pillow tucked under his arm wearing a white jacket with a checkered pattern over the chest, he even had a smirk on his face with a look that said, 'Hah, I got you _this_ time.' He re-adjusted the white scarf around his neck as he picked up his bags and walked towards the red head.

Axel smirked as he switched off the radio then leaned down and pulled the slot that opens up the boot and hopped out of the car to meet him. "You knew I was coming to get you?"

"Of course." He grinned all knowingly. The red head could see his breath and he wondered how long he had been standing outside for as he swung the top open and reached over for his sleeping bag, a large yellow bag and a pillow.

"So, breakfast at Kupo's?" Axel asked as he closed the boot and walked to his side of the car.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." He smiled as he got in.

"How long have you been waiting for?" he asked as he cranked up the heater again.

"Not long, I'd say five minutes max?" he estimated.

"That's five minutes too long. You should've waited for me to call you first." The red head scolded him lightly as he tried to drive away as quietly as possible.

He scoffed, "Yeah, so you'll be my wakeup call and then you'll end up moaning about how slow I am and tell me to hurry up." He quirked up an eyebrow as he regarded the red head.

"No, that's not what I meant. It's freaking cold out, and I could see your breath!"

"Ok fine," he huffed, "If you _must_ know, I was inside and I waited until I heard your car before I went outside. There you have it." He flicked his hand away at the end.

He chuckled, "Is that so?" Axel couldn't help but smirk as he kept his eyes on the road.

"Yup." He nodded as he turned to the red head and commented, "A turtle neck looks good on you by the way."

"You reckon?" he pulled at the collar. "It makes me feel a little itchy to be honest."

"Maybe you have the fleas." He smirked as he wiggled his fingers at the red head.

"Eh…" he suddenly felt as though the itch got worse and the car was suddenly ten degrees hotter in the last two seconds. "I hope not."

"Don't worry. Since you have that insect repellant, it should be ok." He reasoned as he turned back to the front.

"But I haven't used it yet."

"Uh oh." He joked and laughed while the red head merely laughed sarcastically and with a roll of his eyes.

The drive towards the café was filled with excitement, especially from the blond. He raved on about the sports and it made Axel look forward to it.

"We went kayaking before, it was really fun. But not if you accidentally get tipped over." He made a slight face. "We don't normally do it every year, so I'm not sure if we're doing it this time around."

"Aw damn…I totally missed out huh?" he laughed as he looked around for a car park.

"Don't worry, we do different activities every year and we'll always end up laughing about one thing or another." He laughed as he thought back. "Hey, there's a park over there." He pointed straight ahead.

"Yup, I'm on it." He nodded and drove up to it then reversed in. After making sure he's not sticking out too much or too slanted, he got out of the car and waited until Roxas closed the door before locking it. "Damn, it's a cold morning." He rubbed his arms and did a small dance as he walked up to the café.

"Didn't you bring gloves? Or a scarf even?" the blond asked as he quirked up an eyebrow at the dance that Axel was performing.

"I did! But I left them in the bag and I'm too lazy to take it out." He reasoned.

The blond scoffed. "That's just you being lazy, _again_." He smirked as he walked a little faster and got to the door before the red head did. "After you."

Axel smirked but refused to step inside. "No, _no_, after _you_." He nudged his head towards the door.

"No, you get in first."

"You first."

"Roxas, get in."

"Not until you do."

The waitress inside looked at them worriedly, "Umm…"

"Roxas! Get in now!!" he pulled the blond from the door and pushed him inside. "Hey Rik-" he paused halfway. "You're not Rikku…?" he peered at the new girl curiously. 'Unless she got plastic surgery and dyed her hair brown…and got a pair of blue contacts and forgot to put the other in…' he thought to himself as the girl picked up two menus.

"Welcome to Kupo Kafe! I'm Yuna." She introduced herself. "Rikku accidentally sprained her ankle the other day so I'll be filling in for her." She motioned for them to follow her.

"Oh I see." Both the red head and the blond commented. "Are you new?" Axel asked, still keeping a hold on Roxas' shoulders.

"I'm usually working as the mascot." Then she cleared her throat and made the moogle imitation, "Hello! Eat at Kupo Kafe!" she even made a little jump.

"Oh!! Yeah, the mascot, I get it." The red head laughed and was slightly surprised that Yuna knew where they sat. "Who will be working as the mascot now?" he asked as he sat down and took the menu that she offered to the both of them.

"I asked a friend of mine to work as the mascot. She was pretty reluctant though." She smiled.

'Duh…who would wanna hang around in a stuffy suit all day long?' Axel thought to himself as the smiled happily.

"Oh, the specials for today are crepe cake with maple syrup and um…" she brought her hand up to her chin as she tried to remember. "And I think the other is coffee flavored pancakes. I'm not too sure, so I'll check with Cid first ok?"

"Oh that's fine. Don't worry about it." Axel shook his hand.

"No, no. I'll go check with him now, I'll be right back." She jogged up to the kitchen door and poked her head through and called out to the chef, "Cid, what's the other special other than crepe cakes?"

"It's the espresso pancakes!" he called out in a rough voice and placed two plates of food on the window then smacked the bell. "Order's out by the way."

"Thanks Cid." She came back out and was about to jog back to Axel when he waved to her.

"I got it, thanks Yuna."

"It's no problem, Kupo!" she smiled, picked up the two orders and went towards the table that ordered them. "Strawberry waffles and the big breakfast combo!"

"So _she_ was the mascot." Roxas commented as he looked at her for a little longer then opened the menu and scanned it. "I wonder who's filling in for her."

"You'll find out soon enough." The red head smirked as he pointed to the mascot outside.

The oversized moogle had just arrived and merely stood and did nothing to draw in any attention to the café. A jingle was heard and they saw Yuna going up to the moogle.

After a bit of talking, the brunette smiled and came back inside while the other seemed to have sighed and was now waving disinterestedly.

"She's not doing a very good job." Roxas commented and looked back at the menu.

"It's too early in the morning." He reasoned, placing the menu back on the table. "I'm surprised that Yuna could be so giddy about jumping up and down in that stuffy suit." He yawned and scratched his neck. "So, what're you getting?" he changed the subject as he scratched the other side of his neck.

The blond quirked up an eyebrow as he watched the red head. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, the turtle neck irritates my skin."

"Are you allergic to wool? It happens to people who have skin asthma." He reasoned as he closed the menu and leaned forward to scrutinize at Axel's reddening neck.

"No," he furrowed his eyebrows and unwillingly tore his fingers away from his neck and placed them on the table. "I'm not allergic to anything."

"Are you sure?" he smirked slightly.

"Yes. I'm sure." He started jiggling his foot and tried to ignore the itch.

His smirk widened as he raised his hands in front of him and started wiggling them about. "Feeling the itch?" he asked, noticing a slight twitch from Axel's eye.

"Stop it." He warned and craned his neck to the side in an attempt to make the irritation go away.

"Kupo! Are you ready to order?" Yuna appeared with a pen and pad in hand.

"Yeah, I'll have the crepe cake with a side order of the itch." Roxas smirked as he stared at the red head while Yuna seemed pretty confused.

"Ignore him. Get me the espresso pancake." He started tapping rhythmically his fingers on the table.

"Alrighty then. Two specials." She scribbled them down. "Any drinks with that? Coffee, juice?" she asked as she tilted her head to the side.

"Orange juice for me." Axel replied as he tried to scare the blond by glaring into stopping.

"Me too thanks." But he merely smiled and continued on wiggling.

"Ok then." She gave them one more confused look before stepping away towards the kitchen.

"Would you stop that now?" Axel spoke irritably, twisting his head to one side then snapping it to the other, making his neck crack in three places.

Roxas shuddered while the red head smirked. "Hah, I'll keep that in my head for future reference." The tapping of his fingers were no longer rhythmic but more of a furious drumming.

"Maybe you should change into something else."

"You want me to strip in front of you or something?" he smirked and turned his head slightly to the side.

The blond blushed and looked taken aback, "No. Just grab your bag and change in the toilets or something."

"Or I could change here and watch you turn into a pretty shade of pink." He chuckled, "Or, I could just say it and watch you turn into a pretty shade of pink regardless." He widened his smirk.

"Axel, just go, ok?" he sighed and pretended he didn't hear anything as the red head stood up and left, but not before ruffling the blonds' hair.

Axel returned five minutes later wearing a long sleeve white hooded shirt and a black t-shirt on top.

"Still feeling the itch?" Roxas asked with a smirk as he looked up from the crepe cakes that he was eating.

"Nah, but I looked in the mirror and it looked like I've got rashes." He sat opposite the blond and started eating his pancakes. "Damn turtle neck…It wasn't this bad last time I wore it." He mumbled through a mouth full.

"Did you wash it?" he asked as he sipped his orange juice.

"It's wool. You can't wash it, you gotta dry-clean it. Or else it'll shrink."

"Did you dry-clean it then?" he asked again with a smirk, although he already knew the answer to it.

"No…" he avoided the blonds' eyes as he continued on eating.

Roxas smiled, "That's why your neck gets itchy. Because it's not clean!!" he laughed.

"Yeah, yeah." He couldn't suppress the smile as he the pancakes then drank the orange juice. "Wanna trade later?"

"Sure," he smiled as he sliced another piece of the crepes before sliding it over to the red head.

* * *

"What's your favorite Disney movie." The red head asked, quirking up an eyebrow at the look that Roxas was giving him.

"You're asking me, what my favorite Disney movie is?"

"Yeah? Is that wrong?" he raised an eyebrow.

"No, I'm just a little surprised. You asking that kind of question." He shrugged as he sipped his hot chocolate that they ordered shortly after they finished breakfast.

"Well," he smirked, "I could've asked something totally different like-"

"Do I even wanna know?" he cut him off.

"Maybe not." He chuckled.

"Favorite Disney movie huh?" he stared outside the window as he rested his cheek on his palm. "I don't think I have one."

"Aw, come on. You gotta have at least one." He grinned.

He closed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows, "Hmm…" he wrinkled his nose as he thought back to all the Disney movies that he and Sora watched when they were smaller. "Finding…Nemo?" was the only one he could remember being the best one.

"Really? You don't sound too sure."

"I haven't watched any of those movies in a while." He waved off the comment as he drank his hot chocolate.

"We should spend a day watching nothing but Disney movies, it'll be totally awesome."

"What about yours?" he changed his mind, "Wait, wait. That's not what I wanted to ask."

"It's ok, you can have another turn." He smirked, "My favorite Disney movie is Lilo and Stitch. You just gotta love that booger eating alien." He laughed and lightly smacked the table.

"I haven't watched it yet."

The red head gasped. "What?! You haven't watched it yet?!"

"Um…no." he smiled sheepishly, "Sora's watched it though."

"Oh yeah…we _so_ gotta have a movie night one of these days." He nodded his head in resolution. "Anyways, what did you wanna ask?"

He shook his head as he smiled, "What's your favorite school subject?"

"I like all the classes we have together." He smiled while the blond rolled his eyes. He was getting use to those comments. "But I'd have to say that I like stats class the most."

"Oh, let me guess." He sounded sarcastic, "It's because it's the first class that we had together and you chose to sit by me."

"Are you reading my mind?" the red head laughed.

"No, you're just getting predictable." He spoke coolly as he took another sip of his hot chocolate then licked his lips to get rid of the chocolaty froth.

Axel seemed offended, but quickly brushed it off as he stood up from his seat and leaned towards the blond. "Predictable you say?"

"Yes." He furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to see if you can predict my next move." He quirked up an eyebrow as he leaned in closer.

Slowly, he kept on inching his head away from the red head who continued to violate his personal space. "You're gonna pop my personal bubble." He warned as his head hit the back of the cushiony seat.

"I believe I already have." He smirked as he drew closer until their noses almost touched.

"Ok, fine. You've proved your point." He frowned, not enjoying the fact that Axel is not even a centimeter away. "You're not that predictable."

"Good," he smiled, "But before I back up," he tilted his head to the side and licked the leftover froth from the corner of the blonds' lips. "You missed a spot." He smirked as he sat back down in his seat.

His eye twitched, Roxas had never felt so tempted to swear in his whole entire life now than he ever did before. 'Calm down, calm down…Calm down…' he took a deep breath with each passing thought as his eye twitched again. "What, the bleep was that?!" he blushed furiously as he raised his hand and wiped away at the wet spot with his sleeve.

"You missed a spot," he smirked, "Right, over, there." He tapped on the exact same spot near his mouth, mirroring where he had licked the blond just seconds before.

"You could've just told me!" he exploded without meaning to.

"That's just too predictable." He chuckled and looked at the moogle shaped clock hanging on the wall. "Opps, we better get going now." He drank the rest of his hot chocolate and walked up to the podium to pay.

The blond sank in his seat and grumbled, half listening to the conversation that the red head was having with the brunette girl.

"So Yuna, any idea when Rikku's coming back?" he asked after handing her a twenty dollar bill.

"Not sure," she tapped her chin in thought as picked up change for the red head., "maybe sometime later this week or early next week."

"Ok then, if you see her, tell her I said hi and to get well soon ok?" he smiled as he glanced back at their table to see that the blond hadn't moved an inch. "Oh, keep the change too."

"Thank you, and I'll tell her that." She smiled.

"Roxas, you coming or what?" he called out as he placed one arm on the podium and leaned against it.

The blond downed the rest of the contents in the cup, got up and left the café without waiting for the red head.

He raised his eyebrows in confusion as he watched the blond leave then waved at Yuna. "Alrighty, see ya next time." He exited the building then called out to the blond again. "Roxas! You're not angry at me, are ya?"

"No, of course not." He replied in a normal voice as he stalked closer to the car.

"Ok…?" he gave a lop sided smile as he took out the keys of his car and pushed the button to unlock, the blond went in immediately.

As soon as the red head got in, Roxas turned to him, "You remember how to get to church right?"

"Yup, of course." He smirked as he started the engine. "I've been there like, two times already." He waved off the comment as he shifted to first gear.

"Ok." He turned his head back out the window.

Axel wiped the smirk off his face as he stared at the blond. He had been expecting a laugh or a smile. Not a plain, 'Ok.' Maybe it had something to do with what he did just now.

'Nah, he knows it was just a joke,' he laughed in his head, 'Right?' he sighed internally as he drove off.

Roxas hadn't said a word since then, and it had already been five minutes. He just kept his head facing out the window. Axel was starting to get worried. "Hey, look Roxas. I'm sorry. I thought that it would be funn-"

"You're confusing me…"

"Eh?" he turned his head to the blond and immediately snapped his eyes back to the road.

The blond didn't elaborate as they drove on and the red head was extremely tempted to just pull over so they could talk. But you really can't do that in the middle of a motorway. 'Don't push him, don't push him' Axel thought to himself as he continued to glance over at Roxas, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.

It was exactly like that time when Roxas found out that his friend was- 'Oh shit…' he cursed and finally realized what he did.

"Roxas, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's fine."

"No it's not fine." He snapped and the blond jolted slightly. "You're confused about your friend and about yourself. I shouldn't have invaded your personal space, and for that, I'm really sorry." He apologized as he shifted his eyes over to him one more time.

"It's just that…" he started slowly, "I completely forgot about what happened on Tuesday." He sighed as he turned his head back to the front, although he kept his eyes downcast, "And then, you did _that_ and suddenly everything just came right back at me."

He knew that saying sorry one more time was probably not a good idea. Roxas didn't want an apology, he wanted clarification.

"Then, instead of moping about it, why don't you use that noggin' of yours and think it through hm?" He suggested as he tapped the blonds' forehead.

He smiled momentarily before it faded away again, "It's not that easy. I wish it was, but it's not that easy."

"Sure it is. It's like…learning a new subject at school." He applauded himself for his brilliance.

"There're no textbooks available for this subject." He pointed out.

"Ah…true…" he suddenly realized. For him, everything looked easy, mainly because he's already been there and done it. But for Roxas, it was like moving into a completely new school and starting out fresh. It was probably very intimidating. He sighed as he indicated to move out of the motorway. "Isn't this camp thing all about self discovery or something?"

"Yes…?" he turned to the red head. "Your point?"

"Use this week to find out more about yourself. Who knows?" he shrugged and smiled a little, "Maybe you'll learn something new." He suggested as he slowed to a stop for a red light.

Roxas smiled as he regarded the red head then turned back to the front. "Hey Axel?"

"Yeah?" he looked at the blond.

"Thanks."

He grinned, "No problem."

"And Axel?"

"Hm?" he turned back to the front, ready to move when the light turns green.

"You got off at the wrong exit."

"Oh shit!" he cursed as the blond laughed at his mistake.

* * *

Omg…I'm rushing it. I was totally rushing the last chapter, you noticed it too right?! I'm sure you have!! You notice a lot of things that _I_ would've never noticed until you tell me about it _then_ I would notice it! Damn it!!

I'm sick…I've come down with a horrible case of…WRITER'S BLOCK!!! It's a horrible disease of the mind I tell you!!! OH THE HORROR!!!

I found the cure though…Which was to restart the chapter, but it failed the first two times. So…third time's a charm! As they say. Lol.

Anyways, you guys are in for an absolute TREAT next chapter. Muahaha…(No, that's not an evil laugh, it's my crazy, high, over the top, happy laugh…)


	54. Trippin'

Phew…I must now listen to my music to get my muse going…If I had one…Not that I have one…I don't think…Anyways, moving on…

You guys are so lucky! Lol, maybe not but I like to think you are. I'm doubling the lengths of the chapters again. Some of you will be going 'about time!' and some others will be going 'YES!' It's my own personal goal, because…I must move on…Get to the point, ya get me? That's fucktastic…

**Soraslilangel** – Lols, again, let me say, double yuu tee eff.  
**RoraShigoto** – Lols, dude, I don't even recognize your log-in name…That says a lot. But thanks for reviewing again!!!  
**mornir-brightflame** – Oh nah, everything about the dream is probably to vague…I didn't describe it enough and I didn't plan it out enough either. Silly me…  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Aww, some romance, finally eh? Lols.  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Lols, everything is finally coming along…(rubs hands together) Yes…  
**Impiety** – Lols, you should get another chocolate bar then. I love the way you described it!  
**pride1289** – (Snorts) I never know I made mistakes until somebody points it out to me, then I'll be embarrassed and I'll be 'Hehe…'  
**The Mad Empty Shell** – Lols, everybody LOVES treats! Even me! And yes, I do feel that Roxas is a bit…silly in the head.  
**Blaze Moonlight** – Lols, unfortunately, I don't quite remember your login name…So that either means I have bad memory (probable) or you've never reviewed before. But it matters not!  
**Malik's Bunny Mika** – Silly, silly! I always update once every three days. Or so…Lols. Depends if I'm super busy with uni or not.  
**Launch shinra** – Lovely! You've guessed it right! It was Paine in that moogle costume being a total bum. Lols. I have Little mermaid the first one too, everything after that sort of sucked I reckon.  
**delayed-reaction** – Lols, you finished reading in time for the bus, good on ya?  
**WGreyB** – Yes, another one who is right on the mark! That was Paine in the costume, good guessing.  
**Kev the She-Wolf** – I'm assuming this formula worked for you? Maybe I should try it out next time I go to a fast food chain.  
**Cherry** – Thank you for your review, and I'm glad you're enjoying this story thus far.  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Pssh…dude, u have no idea have times I've re-read this story over and over again. Helps only about…25 percent of the time.  
**PaopuTheif** – Thank you! I'm happy that you find this silly story amazing. Lols.  
**Ranchdressing** – Who isn't confuzzled now a days? I'm confuzzled half of my life.  
**Hypothetical.Wonder** – Thank you lots, your review made me smile about the story even though it has so many faults and mistakes in it. And I really enjoyed reading your long list of ten things you like about my story, it really does bring a smile to my face.  
**Colonel Roxas-chan** – Aww, thank you! I'm very happy that you enjoy reading this story!  
**Shadoom** –Lol, thank you, thank you! I hope I don't disappoint you in this chapter.  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Lols! I would SO love to meet her! Lols, funny dude.  
**Boofeh** – Lols, good it was up to your standards. Lols.  
**Erinicole12** – Lols, I like Lilo and Stitch as well. I like Dory from Finding Nemo. She's a nice comic relief. Lols.  
**soraXxXriku** – (Ack) I'm so sorry! I know the wait for some sort of kissing or romance is taking a long, long time, and I have no excuse what so ever other than the fact that this story wasn't planned out properly…Wait, I lost my point…Anyways…I'm sorry!!!  
**Gecko Osco** – My face is seriously burning with complete and total embarrassment! Although I must agree with you. The thing is, I never actually fully planned out the story before I went on ahead and wrote the damn thing out. Which is probably extremely lazy on my part. And I'm extremely happy that you've decided to read so far even though you felt so frustrated with it. This story hasn't been the nicest, but I feel that it's come a long way from the beginning. And yeah, I was a bit silly for not planning anything out before going along with it. But you're right, I should focus more on emotions rather than dialogue. Thank you so much for your review, I feel a little ashamed of myself, but in a good way I suppose. I hope I can remedy the faults in the story.

* * *

"Axel! How much more can you fit in your trunk?" the guy with the short brown hair called out as he stuffed in one last bag into the trailer. 

The red head looked inside his boot and estimated, "About two or three more Matt." He called out and walked over to him.

"The back seat of your car is filled up too right?" he asked as he squeezed shut the trailer door.

"Yeah, can't pile up anymore or else the rearview mirror would be blocked." He reasoned as he picked up a couple more bags and tossed them in the trunk.

"Yeah," he nodded his head and looked at the bags lying on the floor. "Well, there's not much left, I'll just ask them to either hold it or put it on the floor." He laughed as he picked them up. "We should be good to go now."

"Cool." He closed the trunk and walked up to the passenger side and opened the door. "Yo Roxas. We're gonna leave soon."

The blond looked at the time displayed by the radio then turned back to the red head. "Ok."

"I'm just gonna check back with Geoff one more time." He nudged his head towards where the man was as he spoke.

"Ok." He smiled as the red head closed the door then walked away.

Roxas sat back in the chair as he waited, the bad thing about camps are…the long trip it takes to get from point a to point b. He hated sitting in the van or car for long periods of time. It got nauseating sometimes.

He sighed as he looked out the window and saw a couple of sparrows sitting in a tree. Hopping from one branch to another. The next thing he knew was that he was slowly drifting to sleep and he vaguely noticed that Axel got in the car and started the engine.

* * *

He opened his eyes and he saw nothing but green, lots of green. Green trees, green grass…green hills. At least the sky was still blue and road was still grey. 

"Good morning Roxas." A voice to his right sounded.

"I fell asleep…" he replied intelligently as he rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Yes indeed you did." He chuckled, "Did you have a nice dream?"

"I don't know." He shrugged weakly as he tried to stretch in his seat.

"Do you want me to pull over for a while?" he asked as he glanced at the blond.

"No it's ok. How far along are we?" his mouth felt dry and he found that he couldn't swallow properly.

"About two hours into the drive." He spoke as he reached over to the back seat and fumbled around for something.

"Wow…" he was actually pretty shocked with himself for sleeping for over half of the trip then noticed the red head rummaging around the back seat. "What are you looking for?" he asked as he turned his head around.

"Got it." He pulled out a bottle and handed it over to the blond. "We had a pit stop about half and hour ago. So I got us a couple of drinks."

"Thanks." He took it and looked at the label. "Green tea honey lemon…" he quirked up an eyebrow.

"Or do you prefer the passion-fruit one?" he smirked as he continued driving.

"No, this is fine." With a sharp twist, he got the cap off and took a sip from it. "Mmm, quite nice." He commented and took another sip.

"Sure is." He chuckled, "From my favorite brand."

Roxas looked at the logo located at the top of the label. "Mish…mash?" he held back a snort of laughter.

"Do you know what it means?"

"No, but it sounds like potatoes."

"It's like a mixture. They sell all sorts of drinks, like coffee or tea, juices and what else?" he jutted his lower lip out as he thought, "Oh yeah, and power drinks and milk beverages."

"You _do_ realize that you're giving free advertisement right?" he laughed and took another sip.

"Who cares?!" he laughed, "I'm just saying that they're good."

"Mmhmm." He looked outside the window and noticed that the scenery wasn't as green as it was before. "So, what have you been doing for two hours?" he asked as he placed the cap back on the bottle.

'Watching you sleep like an angel.' He thought to himself with a smile. "Nothing, you know, just driving." He waved his hand in a circular motion.

"Man…you must've been bored. Why didn't you switch on the radio?"

"I wasn't sure if you were a light sleeper or not." He reasoned.

"Ah well, I'm not a light sleeper. But I'm not a heavy sleeper either." He pointed out.

"I'll keep that in my head for future reference." He smiled as he turned on the radio. "Feel free to surf around."

"Cool." He started playing around with the buttons, listening in for good songs or his favorite ones. "Oh, I haven't heard this song in a while."

"What is it?"

"Predictable by Good Charlotte. What a coincidence." He laughed and then switched to a different channel.

Axel scoffed as he listened to the music, "Tell me about it." He made a mental note to download it after the trip was over.

Just as the blond was surfing the stations, Axel's ears managed to pick up a familiar piece of music and some key words "Oi, oi. Go back to that station. I heard something emo."

Roxas scoffed but complied none the less and managed to find the station that the red head was talking about.

"-on the music list of 'That's so Emo', we'll be playing 'Slit your own Throat by The used'. Damn, they're so fucking emo, they make me feel normal." The speaker laughed. "We're still taking requests, so phone us on 325 4366, or text us your request on 325 4367."

"Did you get that??" Axel smirked as he eyed the radio while driving.

"What? The number or the song name?" he asked curiously.

"Both, it sounds awesome." The music started playing and he immediately liked it. "Oh yup, I'll be phoning them somewhere in the near future."

Roxas wasn't sure if he should download a song with the words 'slit' and 'throat' in the same sentence. But he slowly changed his mind as the song progressed. It was still a little too 'emo' for his liking.

"Not gonna take this, not gonna take this." Axel nodded his head and sang with the music and the blond stared at him.

"You've heard this song before?" he asked as he pointed to the radio.

"Nah, but they normally repeat a few words in their lyrics. It's easy to pick up on their trends after listening to a few of their songs." He reasoned as he started tapping on the steering wheel while nodding to the beat.

Once the song was over, Axel whined. "Aww damn, that was a good song."

"And next up, we've got a request from Michael who wants to listen to 'Welcome to the Black Parade' by My Chemical Romance." There was a fluttering of what Roxas could only guess to be papers, "I don't know if the lead singer looks better with black hair or bleached hair. He looks hot in both." The speaker laughed again.

"Total emo." The red head chuckled.

"Anyways, on with the show. And you're tuning into 'That's so Emo' on 96.9 FM."

* * *

"The CD we're giving away is from latest album by The Used, totally awesome prize if you're an emo like me. Anyways, if you're caller number nine _and_ you answer the question correctly, you'll instantly win the CD! How fucking awesome is that?" the speaker cried out. 

"Roxas, here." The red head tossed the phone to the said person. "Use your phone too, I want that CD!!! They're the best emo band in the whole world!!"

"Woah, ok, ok." He fumbled his hold on his phone as he tried to catch the one that the red head threw to him. "Calm down Axel."

"Like fuck yeah I'm calm!" he cried out with a menacing smile as he continued driving. "Dial in the number first."

"Ok, the question is," Roxas dialed as fast as his hands could allow on one phone and quickly did it for the next, "What's the lead singer's name in The Used? You can start calling in now."

"Go, go, go!!" Axel cried out and for the first time, he actually prayed that Roxas would get it. The blond had a phone to each ear and he felt extremely ridiculous.

"Oh man, would you look at that? All them red lights flashing. And here we go caller number nine. Hello caller number nine. What's your name?"

"Uh…" the blond widened his eyes when he heard his own voice on the radio. "Oh wow…I got it. Um…uh…I'm Roxas." He numbly hung up on the other phone.

"Sexy name you've got there." The speaker laughed and Axel looked as though he was having difficulty holding it back. "So, tell me. Are you taken?"

The blond looked taken aback. "Er…Yeah, too bad for you." He replied as he made a face to Axel.

"Aw damn, so if I told you to dump whoever you're going out with in exchange for the CD, would you do it?"

"Sorry no, I'm not the kind of guy to do something like that."

"Good to hear, good to hear. Sucks for me though. Anyways, what's the lead singer's name in The Used?"

Roxas widened his eyes and quickly turned to the red head in panic. Axel snatched the phone away and cleared his throat, "Bert McCracken." He spoke in the best impersonation he could make and gave it back to the blond.

"Congratulations! You are now the proud owner of The Used CD, how do you feel?"

"Speechless." He managed a smile on his face.

"Damn, I wonder what you look like in person." The speaker chuckled, "Anyways, hold the line and I'll get your number and address and maybe stalk you in the future. Next up is 'We were meant to live by Switchfoot'." the song immediately started playing and Axel hastily switched off the radio. "So Roxas, what's your address so I can personally send in the CD hm?"

Axel stared with mild interest from the corner of his eye as he drove on, he hated being left out of the loop, he had absolutely no idea what that guy was saying to the blond.

"I might not be at home if you do, considering that I have work and what not." He furrowed his eyebrows as he lied while the red head snatched the other unused phone back and started texting.

"Oh damn, maybe I'll just stay outside and wait for you to show up huh?"

"If you wanna waste your time doing that, then sure." He looked at the phone that the red head shoved in front of his face. It had his address on it. "You wanted to know where I live?"

"Yeah, pen and paper on the ready."

"It's Dusk Apartments at the corner of Evince Road, fourth floor, apartment D. Or 4D in other words."

"Cool, cool. So tell me, are you gay, bi, or straight?"

"I'm…" there was a slight pause, "Straight."

"You sure? You hesitated for a second."

"Yeah, I'm straight. Do you need to know anything else?"

"Nah, if you ever decided to bat for the other team, gimme a call yeah? See ya Roxas, my name is Noah by the way."

"See ya."

"Damn, I got burned by a sexy voice."

"Bye Noah." He finally hung up and sank in his chair and buried his head in his hands. "That's the first time I have ever lied so much in one conversation."

"You ok?" the red head smirked as he eyed the blond.

"I'll live…Although my conscience might die on me soon." He mumbled out as he handed back the phone. "Thanks by the way."

"No worries." He took his phone and stuck it in his pocket, 'No way in hell will I ever let some stranger stalk you…' the red head thought to himself and glanced back at the blond. "What did he say?"

"He wanted to personally send in the CD, I made up some excuse so that he wouldn't…And then he asked me if I was-"

"Yeah, I got that part." He looked worriedly at the blond who let out a soft sigh.

"He's weird." He finally managed to say out.

"The part about you having a sexy voice was a total crack up." He chuckled.

"Let me repeat myself, he's weird." The blond smirked a little as he sank lower into his seat.

"Sit up straight, you're gonna get a sore back like that. And don't go complaining to me if you _do_ end up getting a sore back." He warned.

They stopped for lunch shortly after the whole 'emo' incident and managed to get a lot of tables moved together to make one huge long table instead.

The business was extremely happy that they're gonna make a lot of money and profit, not to mention good advertising, but over half of the restaurant was completely taken over by them and there weren't enough chairs to go around.

By the time they finished eating and got out of the restaurant, it was already 12.30pm.

"Alright people, one more hour to go before we get there!" Geoff called out as he ushered a few of the teenagers towards the van as they groaned out their misery.

"One more hour? No problem." Axel smirked as he got into his own car and started the engine.

"This is so tiring. I'll never get use to this." The blond grumbled as he opened the door to the passenger side and got in as well.

"Hey, you're not the one that's driving. _Plus_, you slept for over half the trip, so if anybody gets to complain, it should be me." He pointed out as he shifted gears and followed the other vans out of the car park area.

Roxas smirked, "Do you wanna complain? I'll listen for free the first time."

The red head laughed, "Nah, I'll save it for later when I need it."

They managed to get to their destination within the hour and when they got there, they were somewhat surprised to see two tour buses parked in front of the cabins.

"Uh…" Axel started as he slowed to a stop. "The other churches?"

"Yeah, but they use to come in vans like we did. Looks like they've expanded a lot in the last year." Roxas watched as the people scurried around with their bags looking for their rooms and possibly trying to switch into one where their friends were sleeping in.

The red head noticed the pastor from the blonds' church come towards him and he immediately pushed a button for the window to slide down.

"Hey Axel, why don't you park your car at the far end? There's a space over there where the apartments are." He pointed to the end where the road ended and the gravel began.

"Ok, sure. Thanks Geoff." He thanked him and slowly drove in the pointed direction, trying very hard not to accidentally crash and bump into people.

Once he settled into the park, he switched off the engine and opened up the boot. "Shall we?" he looked over at the blond and smirked.

"Way ahead of you." He returned the smirk as he opened the door and stepped out, pulling at the slot to make the seat come forward so that the luggage in the back seat could be claimed.

After every bag except their own has been retrieved, Axel took out his own bags and pillow and Roxas' then closed the trunk. "Ok, where to?" he asked as he looked around the new area.

"We find our cabins." He smiled as he reached for his bags and pillow that the red head was holding.

"Would they put us in separate rooms?" he asked as he ignored the looks that a few kids were giving him.

"Probably not, since you're new to the church. They'll probably stick you with me." He spoke as he walked around the corner and started reading the list posted by the cabin doors.

"That's cool." He smiled in relief as he followed the blond.

"Not in cabin ten." He moved straight to the next one.

"So uh…After this, what do we do?" he asked as he re-adjusted the bag strap on his shoulder while the blond scanned the names on the list.

"Get settled into the cabin, claim a bunk, introduce yourself to the other people and wait." He moved to the next room.

"Wait?" he quirked up an eyebrow at the blond.

"We're in cabin eight." He pointed out as he walked through the opened doors.

There was already a group of boys inside and none of them belonged to the church he goes to. He felt instantly out of place, but as long as Axel was with him, he didn't mind so much.

He tossed his bags and pillow to the empty bunk on top, horizontal to the wall, by the door, "My bunk."

"Hey!" the red head cried out and everybody immediately turned to him. "I wanna gonna grab that bunk."

"Too late." He smirked as he climbed the steps up to the bunk. "You snooze, you lose."

"Fine, I'll grab the one over there then." He walked past the blonds' bunk to the one horizontal to the other wall and threw his bags and pillow up to the bed. "Never knew you could have a triple bunk." He spoke as he stared at the empty bunk with no mattress above him.

"You learn something new everyday." He smiled as he watched Axel climb up the steps.

"So, who're you guys?" a boy with short brown hair and blue eyes asked as he looked from Roxas to Axel.

"I'm Roxas from TBC."

They turned to the red head for an answet, "I don't err, belong to any church." Axel spoke as he leaned back on the wall, in an attempt to avoid their eyes and gazes.

"Twilight Baptist church huh? Cool. I'm Josh from HBBC, so are Chris and Jake." He nudged his head towards the two boys behind him. One boy had short, spiked up black hair and dark eyes while the other had slightly long black hair with highlights of brown and hazel eyes. "What's _your_ name?" he tilted his head up to get a better view of the red head.

"Axel." He replied curtly, he didn't feel like socializing.

"Cool name."

The red head merely grunted his thanks and listened as Josh spoke to Roxas.

"So Roxas, I think I've seen you around here last year."

"Yeah, I come ever year for church camp with my brother."

"_He's_ your brother?" Jake asked incredulously as he pointed towards the red head.

"Does he _look_ like my brother?" Roxas suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at them, "My brother is with his friend somewhere around here."

"Oh ok then." He turned away and scratched his cheek.

The door on the other side suddenly burst open and somebody stepped in, "Hey Josh! We're gonna go to the basketball court, wanna come with?" some random guy ask as he looked at the new faces but ignored them none the less.

"Sweet, we'll be right there." He waved then turned back to the blond. "You guys wanna join us? Axel can come too."

Roxas looked at the red head who merely shrugged, then he turned back to him. "Nah, gotta set up the sleeping bags and whatever's." He reasoned as he shook his head in refusal.

"Alright then, your choice." He shrugged then headed out the other door and the two other boys followed.

Once they were out of the door, the blond let out a low sigh then proceeded to take out his sleeping bag from its holder and spread it across the mattress. He sneezed once as he did so.

The red head copied what the blond was doing (except the sneezing part) and placed a pillow at the head of the bunk, closest to Roxas'. After they were done, they stared at each other.

"What now?" Axel asked as he quirked up an eyebrow.

"We wait."

"That's what you said last time." His face faltered as he watched the blond put his bag over the small plank of wood hanging in between their bunks.

"Do you wanna go outside instead?" he asked as he took off the white scarf he wore. It was starting to get a little warm now it was the afternoon.

"Sure," he shrugged as he jumped off his bunk to the ground below. "What are we suppose to be doing on the first day anyway?" he asked as he watched the blond climb down from the steps. He smirked a little at the view he was getting.

"Dunno, that's why I said we wait." He unzipped his jacket a little as he walked towards the door. "The first day is usually 'settling in' day." He spoke with quotations.

"Ah, ok." He nodded his head and followed the blond out. Almost immediately, other people were already crowding around the both of them. But they all chatted to the blond instead.

Everywhere they went, everybody that wasn't from their church approached the blond. And Axel wasn't happy with the way Roxas was making friends left and right. It made him feel horribly forgotten. He turned his head to the bubbly voice that belonged to the blonds' brother and noticed him with his silver haired friend.

Sora kept to Riku, so why can't Roxas do the same? But then again, that might be asking for too much. The blond didn't even notice the red head walking away as he continued to talk to the other people.

Shortly, the red head came out of their cabin with a sketchbook and pencil case in hand and moved across the large playing field where some teenagers were playing soccer towards the playground at the far end, away from the chattering people in an attempt to find himself some privacy. He knew coming to camp was a bad idea. There were just too many people around.

Made him feel claustrophobic.

But he came for Roxas.

Axel settled himself on one of the unoccupied swings and opened his sketchbook to a new page and started drawing as Roxas socialized by the cabins. Not five minutes later, he heard footsteps come closer and he instinctively closed his sketchbook.

He never _did_ like people poking their noses into his business. Even if it _was_ just a sketchbook.

"Hey Axel, what's up?" Josh asked as he stood in front of the red head with his hands in his pockets.

"Nothing much." He shrugged as he twirled the pencil he had in his fingers.

"What's that you're holding?" he pointed to the item in Axel's hand. "A book?"

"A sketchbook actually." He said in an all-knowing voice.

He scoffed, "What are you exactly?" he had been tempted to ask this in the cabin. "Emo?" Josh laughed and his other friends laughed along with him.

Axel ignored him as he shifted his eyes to a spot just behind the boy's shoulder and noticed the blond coming closer with a look of curiosity.

Noticing that the red head was no longer paying attention to him, he turned his head around and saw the blond closer to them. "Hey Roxas! Don't you think that Axel is a bit of an emo?"

The blond smiled and suddenly, the red head felt betrayed as he shifted his eyes away from them.

Roxas stopped just behind the three boys and placed his hands in the pockets of his jacket, "I like your honesty Josh, but I rather you keep those comments to yourself thanks."

He scoffed and started walking back towards the cabin, the boys following close behind. "Great, you've been converted as well. I wouldn't be surprised if you're gay too."

"HEY!" Axel stood up from the swing, ignoring the noise that the book and pencil case made when they fell to the ground as he stalked towards the three boys. But before he could get to them and give them a piece of his mind, Roxas grabbed his arm and shook his head.

The red head stared at the blond then turned back to the retreating boys. Letting out a scoff of displeasure, "This sucks," he started, finally realizing that he broke the pencil that he had been holding. "This place is exactly the same as the outside world." He scoffed again as he glared at the back of the boys, hoping it would be enough to stab them to death.

"We're human after all." Roxas laughed, although there was no mirth in it as he released the hold he had on the red head and walked towards the swing and started picking up the

pencils, pen and eraser from the ground and placing it back in the pencil case.

"I guess…" he finished lamely as he walked towards the blond and picked up the sketchbook that was lying half open on the ground.

"I'm sorry for leaving you behind." The blond suddenly apologized as he handed the closed pencil case over to the red head. "But don't worry. I'll stick with you from now on." He smiled a little as he sat on the swing.

"Ah, you don't have to do that." He offered as he looked away. In truth he felt really happy that Roxas would do that. But at the same time, he felt a little guilty for wishing something like that just before.

"I want to." He pushed the ground lightly with the soles of his shoes, letting him swing back and forth in a slow, steady motion.

"If you insist." Axel sat by the blond on the next swing over and opened up the pencil case then placed in the broken pieces before closing it again.

"Oh, and I found out what we're doing next."

"What's that?" he looked at the blond curiously.

Roxas smirked as he looked at the red head, "Free time until 3pm."

Axel laughed.

* * *

A barely noticeable electric guitar solo started playing throughout the crowded food hall of the camp site. The red head leisurely took out his phone from his pocket as he took another bite from his macaroni and cheese dinner. 

"Yo."

"Axel! What do you mean you won't be home for a week?!" a familiar voice screamed from the other side and he had to hold it a short distance away from his ear.

"I just _won't_." he shrugged as he stabbed at the green salad on his plate and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Why?!" Reno cried out and the red head resisted the urge to roll his eyes as somebody poked his shoulder.

"Hey Axel, could you pass me the water jug?" the blond sitting on the left of him asked as he pointed to the item to the said person's right.

"Sure Rox." He smiled as he picked up the jug and poured some water into the blonds' empty cup then placed it in front of him.

As the blond thanked him, he heard a chuckle from the other side of the phone, "Ah…eloping with Roxas eh?"

"No, it's not like that." He suppressed the need to suddenly slap his forehead when a hand was placed on the red head's shoulder, he turned his head back to a familiar person.

"Hey Axel, you wanna join us for band practice later?" he was holding an empty plate.

"No thanks Matt." He refused politely as he heard his brother gasped.

"Alrighty then. See ya later." He waved and walked towards the kitchen area to put away his dirty dishes.

"A threesome? Axel, you naughty…" he could hear his brother smirking away.

"Whatever Reno." This time, he really _did_ roll his eyes.

"Oi, did you have to take the mouthwash with you? I use it too you know?" the voice on the other side sounded rather miffed.

"I'll return it in a week."

"Aww but-!" he hung up before the older red head could say anything else.

"What did he say?" the blond asked as he started eating his vegetables while looking at the phone that the red head was still holding.

"Just asking why I wouldn't be home for a week." He tucked his phone back into his pocket and continued on eating.

"Didn't you leave him a note?" he quirked up an eyebrow at Axel.

"I did, but he's not normally this nosy about where I'm going." He reasoned as he picked up his glass and drank half of it.

"You didn't tell him where you were going, did you?" he smirked.

"Why should I?" he grinned as he went back to his macaroni and cheese.

The brunet grunted as he ate in gusto. "Mm!! This is so good! I'm going up for seconds!!" he cried out happily.

The blond smacked his forehead, "You didn't even eat the packet ones you bought!"

"But Roxas! This is homemade! It's so good!!" he stuffed another mouthful in.

"Sora, could you chew first before you stuff another spoon in?" the silver haired boy beside him asked as he watched his friend in amazement. He knew Sora liked food, but this seems more like an obsession.

"I'm done!!" he dropped his spoon and fork on the plate and waited for the next round.

"Sora, eat your veges." Roxas demanded as he pointed at the meager amount of salad on the brunet's plate.

"Aww…But Roxas, I don't like radishes…"

"Then pick it off."

"I don't like onions either." He picked up his fork and started pushing the radishes off to another side of the plate.

"Pick it off too."

"I don't like capsicums as well…"

"…" the blond stared at his brother. "And then the next thing you say is that you don't like cabbages or lettuces either right?"

The brunet smiled sheepishly.

"Ok fine, but could you at least eat a fruit or something?" he sighed.

"Yes!" he cried out in triumph. "I can totally do that." He noticed somebody from the adult table standing up with a microphone in his hands.

"Ok, anybody wanting seconds? Here's your chance."

"After seconds!" Sora jumped off his seat and joined the rush of teenagers towards the food.

Once the brunet was out of ear-shot, the blond shook his head in disbelief. "He acts like we never feed him or something."

"Well, I'm going up for more food," Axel spoke as he stood up from his seat then turned to the blond, "What about you?"

"No, I'm fine." He pushed his plate away and took out the booklet that they received earlier in the day from his pocket.

"Ok then." He walked away and left the blond to go over the timetables for the next few days of camp.

'Night service at 8…tea time at 10…in the cabins by 10.30…lights out at 11…' Roxas thought to himself as he scanned the timetable for Monday. He took out a pencil from the red head's pencil case and quickly made a note for Wednesday morning to get up in time to help out for kitchen duties.

Roxas looked up momentarily when his brother came back with a plate full of macaroni goodness and an apple. Sora waved the fruit at the blond then started eating his second dinner. He shook his head with a smile and looked back in the booklet, 'I'm sure I can get up by 7.15…Not sure about Axel though…' he furrowed his eyebrows slightly, 'Seriously, 7.30 for kitchen duty? That sucks.'

"Tell me about it." Axel laughed as he placed a bowl of dessert in front of the blond, his dessert bowl and the plate perched precariously on his arm on the table and sat back down in the seat. The blond was unaware that he had spoken the last part out loud. "And what's this about being 'the Spell Casters'?" he spoke in quotes.

"It's our group name. It changes every year." He smiled as he closed the booklet and placed the pencil back in the pencil case. "Last year I was in the Hulks." Almost immediately, the red head burst out in laughter. The blond blushed slightly in embarrassment. He should've expected this kind of reaction from the red head.

"The hulks?! Oh, what a total crack up." He wiped a tear away and sighed as he started eating his food. "The hulks…Hahh…Good one."

"Whatever." He grated out as he stared at the bowl in front of him. "What is this by the way?"

"It's dessert. Duh." He spoke as he took another bite of the macaroni.

"What kind of dessert?" he looked at the square block of white in question but at least the syrup looked familiar, "Passion fruit…something."

"Passion fruit cheesecake. It's written on the board silly." He pointed out and the blond blushed again in embarrassment.

"Whatever…" he picked up the spoon that was in the bowl and started eating and widened his eyes in surprise.

It was good…Surprisingly good. Especially for a home made one. The texture was smooth and creamy and the passion fruit provided just the right amount of tanginess. It practically melted in his mouth.

"That good huh?" the red head chuckled as he finished up his meal and drank the rest of the water in the cup and refilling it up. "I'll be the judge of that." He placed the jug back down and picked up the spoon and took a bite out of his own dessert.

He was silent for a good half a minute before he finally swallowed. Roxas smirked with a satisfied look as he watched Axel.

"Uh…I think Kupo Kafe is gonna have some competition with the cheesecake…"

Roxas laughed, ignoring the looks of confusion from his brother and Riku who have absolutely no idea what a Kupo Kafe was.

* * *

They were now sitting restlessly (on the red head's part) in the church hall located at the far end of the cabins, listening to the last few words from the pastor before the end of service. 

"We should love our fellow man and treat each other with equal respect."

The red head smirked as he turned his head to the blond who was sitting beside him, "Yeah Roxas, you should love me." He whispered and held back a chuckle when the blonds' writing suddenly went slack due to the effect of his words.

"Shut up Axel." The blond managed to say out and continued writing in the booklet.

The said person merely smirked and turned his head back to the front.

"Let's end our service in prayer." He closed his eyes while everybody stood up and followed suit. Axel stood up and hesitated for a moment before closing his eyes as well. "Dear Father in heaven. Thank you for watching over us during the trip and guiding us safely. Thank you for the wonderful weather we've had today and may the other days be sunny as well." A few people murmured out their agreement.

As the pastor continued the prayer, Axel peeked at the blond and noticed he was very still. He quickly closed his eyes again.

"Thank you for everybody who decided to join us in our camp and may they seek to you for help. In Jesus' name, amen."

The red head opened his eyes again and noticed the band members getting up to the front to get ready for songs and singing.

As the music started and then the singing, he felt a little out of place and wondered if anybody noticed that he wasn't singing. He curiously looked around the hall, but nobody was looking his way.

He placed his hands in his pockets as he looked at the screen projector, reading the words that were being displayed on the wall.

It was one song after another and after four or five songs, they were dismissed to grab some snacks in the food hall. "Help yourself to hot chocolate. Hands off the coffee machine if you're not over 18." Geoff called out with a smile as the teenagers started leaving for cookies and biscuits.

"Do you think I look 18?" Axel asked as he nudged the blond.

"Which answer do you wanna hear?" he looked at his watch as they walked out of the church hall. '9.48…about an hour left before we have to be back in the cabin.'

"Huh…Good point, either you're young and immature, or you're old and in your prime." They continued walking towards the food hall that was at the other end of the cabins.

Roxas snorted and ignored his brother who zoomed past him to get more food with Riku following close behind. The red head beside him yawned loudly and cleared his throat as he walked by the blond.

"Are you tired?" Roxas asked as he looked at Axel.

"Uh…kinda." He scratched his cheek.

"Do you want snacks?"

"Uh…not really."

"Hot chocolate?" they just walked past their cabin and noticed that the lights were still off.

The red head quirked up an eyebrow at the blond, "Er…where's this conversation going?"

"Nowhere, I was just wondering that if you don't want anything to eat or drink, you can go to bed earlier if you wanted." He reasoned as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Ah, good idea." He back tracked and walked back towards the cabin. "I'm not that hungry for snacks anyways. What about you?"

"Me neither." He followed the red head and watched as Axel opened the door and fumbled around for the light switch.

Once the lights were on, the red head immediately climbed up the steps to his bunk and collapsed with his face in the pillow and let out a sigh of relief. "Finally! Some relaxation!"

"You sound like we've been working you to death the whole day." He laughed as he dragged his bag from across his bunk and looked inside it for his toothpaste and toothbrush.

"No, but I feel so tired." He rolled over so that he was lying on his back instead, "I feel as though I could drop dead any second now."

"Then get off your butt and brush your teeth before you fall asleep." He stepped out of the door.

"Gimme five more minutes to relax." He called out as he waved his hand lazily.

"You'll be off to dream land in less than five minutes." He rolled his eyes and walked off, "I'm not waking you up if you fall asleep." He called back.

"You will!! I'm sure you will!!" he shouted from his bunk.

Roxas laughed as he walked towards the toilets located in between cabin five and cabin six. He shivered at the cold wind that blew gently as he walked closer to his destination. His feet suddenly made contact with the tile floor when he stepped inside and moved towards the sink. He turned on the tap and proceeded to squeeze a little toothpaste out of the tube onto his toothbrush.

By the time he got back to the cabin, not even five minutes later, Axel was already in the land of dreams. Roxas closed the doors from both sides and used this small window of opportunity to quickly get changed into his pajamas.

He kicked off his shoes and tugged his socks off and looked into his bag for his night clothes.

While changing and already in his night pants, he froze halfway of putting his pajama top on over his head when Axel shifted on his bunk bed. He let out a small sigh of relief when the red head didn't wake up and quickly pulled it over his head. After putting his other clothes and items back into his bag, he climbed up the steps that led to the red head's bunk and gently shook him.

"Axel, wake up and brush your teeth."

He merely snorted and mumbled something incoherent.

"Axel, get up now." He gave the red head another gentle shake.

The red head forced his eyes opened and peered at the blond through sleepy eyes and smiled, "See? I told you you'd wake me up…" he grinned lazily as he rolled onto his side and faced the blond.

"Yeah, yeah. Now get up and brush your teeth." He smiled a little and was about to jump off the steps when the red head grunted in disapproval.

"Can I just skip that part out and go straight to sleep?"

"Sure."

"Really?" he raised his head from the pillow as he stared at the blond.

"No, now get up and brush your teeth." He laughed a little when Axel groaned and dropped his head back to the pillow.

As soon as the blond got back up on his own bunk, the red head was rummaging around his bag with a scowl while Roxas pulled on a pair of socks for extra warmth.

The red head grunted his discomfort as he stepped out of his bunk and accidentally missed the last step, "Woah, Jesus-!" he cried out in shock as he tumbled down but regained his balance. "Er…Sorry, I didn't mean that." He laughed nervously as he scratched his cheek.

Roxas merely stared at him.

"Right…I'll be er…right back." He pointed to the door and walked out.

Roxas sneezed once, then twice then quickly got into his sleeping bag to conserve some warmth. It was getting colder.

When the red head returned a few minutes later, the blond sneezed three more times in succession. Axel laughed.

"Are you cold?" he asked with a smirk as he closed the door.

"Yes…" his voice sounded nasally. "Could you switch on the heater please?" he pointed in the general direction of the equipment without getting up from his bed.

"Sure." He followed where the blond was pointing to and switched on the item at the wall. "Looks pretty old…" he looked at the small circular tube with other pipes coming out of it and leading into the wall. "Very old."

"Well," the blond began as he sneezed again, "This camp has been around for a long time," then he suddenly sat up and stared blankly ahead. "Ah…"

"Ah?" Axel quirked up an eyebrow at the blond.

"I'm sneezing because," he sneezed again, "the whole room is dusty. And the fact that I'm sleeping by the window isn't helpful either." He turned around and dug into his bag and finally revealed a box of tissues.

"You brought a box of tissues?" the red head almost laughed while the blond pulled out a tissue.

"It doesn't hurt to bring some." He shrugged as he sneezed again and blew into it.

"Maybe you should sleep away from the window." He suggested. "I'll move my bunk over there." Axel pointed to the unoccupied mattress at the foot of his bunk.

"No." he shook his head, "You stay, I'll move." He proceeded to get out of his sleeping bag.

"No, no I insist." He smirked as he climbed up the stairs that led to the other bunk and walked over the mattress towards his bed and pulled his sleeping bag over the small plank of wood in between the two bunks. "Less work for you." He then crawled over his sleeping bag, over the plank, over the now empty mattress and dragged both of their bags over to the other plank so that it would be in the middle of them.

Begrudgingly and very slowly, (due to the fact that the blond sneezed once every thirty seconds), Roxas managed to moved his sleeping bag over and when he was finally done, he sneezed three more times in rapid succession then collapsed on top of his pillow with a muffled groan.

The red head let out a soft chuckle as he hopped off the second bunk on the floor and switched off the lights. "Good night."

"G'night…" he groaned again and quickly flipped over to his back when he felt the sudden urge to sneeze again. "Guh…"

Axel laughed and somehow managed to get changed in the dark. It wasn't quite that dark though, there was still some light shining through the curtains from the outside. Once he was done, he climbed onto his bunk.

"Hey Roxas. Are you getting better? You haven't sneezed in the last-" his sentence was abruptly cut off by a sneeze.

"Gee…thanks a lot Axel." He blew his nose into another tissue.

The red head laughed as he walked on his mattress and carefully tested the strength of the small wooden plank with one foot, then the other. He lifted himself off the plank with the help of the bunk handle and hoisted himself over.

"Axel, what are you doing?" he stared at the said person through the wooden bars going from left to right of the empty bunk. "There's no mattress." He realized shortly.

"I know." He gripped the wood in front of him and smirked as he stared at the blond through the gaps, his speech slightly muffled due to the obstruction of wood over his mouth.

"You look like you're in jail." He felt another sneeze coming and got ready for it by putting a tissue over his nose.

"Would you come see me if I was?" he grinned as he wiggled his fingers.

"It depends." He managed quickly and turned his head away to sneeze.

"Come on, say you'll come and see me."

"Goodnight Axel." He grinned and rolled over to his side.

"Aw Roxas, you hurt me so." He chuckled as he slowly got off the top bunk above the blonds' and climbed onto his own bunk bed. "Goodnight Roxy." He said with a smile as he zipped up his sleeping bag and snuggled into it.

"Goodnight."

They were already asleep by the time the other cabin members came back. Not even the unexpected lighting up of the room awoke them from their slumber.

* * *

Roxas and everybody else in the cabin abruptly woke up to the sound of banging doors and a deep voice calling out to them. 

"Ground Shakers! Kitchen duty!" That was for cabin 10. The same thing happened for cabin 9, and then eventually, the person started banging on their door and repeated the same words, "Ground Shakers! Kitchen Duty!"

The blond merely groaned and buried himself deeper into his sleeping bag. It was too cold and it was too early. He decided to just rest his eyes for a little longer before getting up.

The red head rolled onto his stomach and blindly groped around the small plank of wood hanging in between their bunks for his phone and when he found it, he groaned at the time that blinked at him.

'7.21…7.21 in the fucking morning.' He went face down into his pillow again.

A couple of the cabin members grumbled out their misery and clumsily got out of bed and exited the room while dragging their feet behind them. When the doors closed behind them, Axel raised his head and peered at the sleeping figure ahead of him and smirked.

He did a little stretch before fully waking up and crawling over just a little until he was at the very foot of the blonds' bunk. He grabbed the corners of Roxas' sleeping bag and was about to pull him across his bunk when he realized that the blond might actually scream out in terror.

It was too early in the morning for any screaming or shouting. So he decided, 'Maybe next time.' He shrugged and chose to wiggle the blonds' sleeping bag instead. "Roxas, wakey, wakey." He crooned gently as he continued moving the said person's sleeping bag left to right.

"Axel, stop it." He groaned and tried to reclaim sleep, but it was already too late.

"Not until you wake up." He grinned.

Finally, the blond sat up and glared at the red head.

"Woah, you're not much of a morning person, are you?" He chuckled nervously as he held his hands up in defense.

"Only because you disturbed my sleep." He reasoned as he unzipped his sleeping and sat crossed legged on the mattress.

"I'm sure you were already awake three minutes ago." He reasoned as he sat on the bunk.

"Yeah, and I was _trying_ to go back to sleep." He replied as he rubbed his eyes and yawned.

Somebody scowled at them, "Would you shut _up_? Some people are _still_ trying to sleep here." Somebody muttered from their mattress.

"Hm…Wait, now that I think about it, aren't you in Ground Shakers too Josh?" Axel smirked when the said person suddenly remembered and ran out of the room, ignoring the snickers coming from both blond and red head.

* * *

Anyways, does the layout of the cabin rooms confuse you? I think it would, I found it very hard to explain clearly… 

And also, thank you everybody for helping me reach this large milestone of 800 reviews. You have no idea how much it means to me and how much you've all taken up a piece of my life. Believe me, that's not a bad thing, really.


	55. Itchy Bites

Damn…Axel and Roxas' Japanese voices are so fucking hot and sexy…I don't mind the English voice overs so much, I like Roxas and Axel, but meh…I hate Jesse McCartney. Quite contradictory, ain't it? Sorry if you feel differently, but I'm just expressing my opinions. Lol. Oh and um…Jesse, if you're reading this, sorry but you're just not good enough in my eyes. You're no Roxas. Lols. 

**delayed-reaction** – I feel the same way…I don't like to leave the comfort of my own home and civilization. Lols.  
**mornir-brightflame** – Ah, sure some are nice, but boys will be boys. Stereotypical boys mind you.  
**Colonel Roxas-chan** – Yeah, I read it over and over again and I got confused with it myself, and no matter how many times I re-worded it, it just…didn't work! (Cries)  
**Leixra** – He's just being friendly. Lols, Matt already has a girlfriend, but she doesn't go to that church. I could either be making this up, or I'm telling the truth. Up to you. Lols. (Snorts)  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Lols, by the looks of your review, you summarized all you wanted to say in very short sentences.  
**Kev the She-Wolf** – Lols, I see you don't like camp either. I've always had bad experiences, so I was never a big fan of it…I guess it makes it better if friends are there too.  
**WGreyB** – Yeah, I try to remedy those parts. There're some parts where it's obvious and some others that aren't. Opps, my bad.  
**pride1289** – Yer…About that…Lols, he'll have dreams later on.  
**Plain Jane Is A Vampire** – I agree with you one hundred percent. Testuya-san…Why do you do this to us?! As for Winter camp…I have no idea. I wasn't thinking when I wrote it out…  
**soraXxXriku** – Lols, that cracked me up! I have no idea what I was on when I was typing that part out, but I _was_ listening to The Used. They're fucking good.  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – I don't think Roxas actually made some real friends, you know? Just chatting with other people and everything.  
**DarkEmoKitty** – Lols, yes, my apologies once again…This is the longest story I've ever written as well, but…that's partly due to the fact that I never planned anything out with this story. (Cries)  
**Gecko Osco** – I worship Dualism and Spot of Bother. I've always wanted to write a Zemyx, but I can't seem to portray them as perfectly as Dualism does. I don't think I'll ever be able to write in her style though. It's so…hard core. (For lack of a better word)  
**Ranchdressing** – I wanna read the manga!!! I wanna buy the manga!!!! Oh my gosh, WHY CAN'T I FIND IT ANYWHERE?!!??!?  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Camp is fun, sometimes…But at least you know what I'm going on about with the layout and all. I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I'm so sorry for your loss…  
**RoraShigoto** – Hahaha…I don't recognize that name either…My apologies.  
**Malik's Bunny Mika** – The radio station guy made me laugh my head off, he was hilarious.  
**Conductor of Darkness** – He's getting a little more self-conscious about himself because of (ahem), yeah, you know what I'm going on about. Kind of sad in a way…Poor Roxas. I can't believe I'm torturing him this much. Same goes for Axel too.

I saw a picture…Not just _any_ picture. It was a picture of…hehehe…I'm not telling you. (Snickers)

* * *

"Alright, listen up everybody!" Matt, being one of the adult leaders in charge of camp sports activity, was standing in front of all four groups with a microphone in hand about to shout out instructions for the games. 

"The object of the game is, to run up to your team leaders over there," he pointed to the row of four teenagers at the 100 meter mark. "Grab the pole, put it on your head and spin around with it twenty times." A few people groaned at this, saying how 'embarrassing' it's gonna be.

"No cheating, your team leaders are gonna count for you. And after that, you're gonna put it on the ground, jump over it then run back to your team, tag the next person and keep going until the last person finishes, then you all sit down with your hands on your heads. You got it?" a few people murmured their thoughts.

"Alrighty, first team to finish gets 400 points, second gets 300, third gets 200 and last gets 100." He turned his head to the side lines where a few people that weren't participating stood. "Point takers, ready?!" he gestured to the two male and female teenagers.

"READY!" they each smiled and waved a clipboard around.

Matt turned his attention back to the four lines or groups, "Teams, ready?!"

"Yeah, ready, whatever." They murmured out individually.

"I can't hear you! Are you ready?!" he cupped a hand behind his ear.

With a sign and an eye roll, they gave in and finally shouted back with equal enthusiasm. "Yes!!"

"Alright! On your marks, get set!" he quickly stepped over to the side lines, "And GO!"

Immediately, the first runners ran up to their team leaders, grabbed the pole that they held out for them, placed it on their foreheads and spun around like crazy.

After a few spins, a boy got too dizzy and fell over backwards. When he got up and tried again, he only managed half a circle before falling down one more time. The other team members were laughing and slapping their knees.

A girl who managed to get all twenty spins done, placed the pole on the ground and couldn't concentrate on which pole to actually jump over, eventually, she jumped the wrong way and started running off to a team that wasn't even her own. Again, the other team members laughed their heads off as they grabbed their stomachs in mirth.

Another boy spun away from his leader back towards his team without realizing, and when he threw the pole down and jumped over it, and started running in the opposite direction of where his team members were. They doubled over in laughter, some even falling to their knees at the display of hilarity.

After ten minutes of constant laughing and falling over, they moved onto the next activity after announcing the winner. "Coming fourth, are the Thresholders, third are the Ground Shakers, second are the Storm Riders and," before the first place winner was announced, everybody in the team jumped up and whooped for joy. "First are the Spell Casters."

For two hours from 3 to 5pm, they played nothing but sports, insert the occasional five or ten minute break to get a breather. After playing sports, they had an hour of free time which most people used to take a quick shower or grab a bite to eat or quench their thirst.

The red head came back out of the cabin, his hair still dripping wet after the shower he just took and he leisurely walked towards the food hall where the blond said he would be once he finished his own shower. He found Roxas sitting on an empty table with a warm cup of tea in hand.

Blue eyes looked up in surprise when someone sat down beside him.

"Hey," he casually greeted then sighed, placing his elbow on the table and resting his cheek in his open palm. "What cha drinking?"

"Herbal lemon tea." He smiled and took another sip. "There's the tea bag over there if you wanna make yourself some." He pointed to the small basket of numerous tea bags by the coffee machine. 'He smells…weird…'

"Good idea, maybe it'll wake me up a bit." He smiled as he got up and walked over to the table, grabbing a clean cup, putting in two teaspoons of sugar, ripping open a tea bag, chucking it in then pushing the button for hot water from the coffee machine. He sat opposite the blond and gently blew into the hot drink. "I know I'm not suppose to be using the coffee machine, but don't tell anybody." He winked and carefully took a sip.

The blond smirked, "Oh I don't know about that. I might accidentally let it slip out you know?" he looked over his shoulder and spotted a few adults that were in charge of the whole camping trip. "Oh look, there's Geoff." He turned his head back to the red head and smirked.

"Aw, that's so mean." He moped and tried to hide behind the cup.

"Don't worry, your horrible secret is safe with me." He laughed as he took another sip from his tea.

"Phew, I feel so much better." He wiped away the fake sweat from his forehead, a few droplets of water dripping onto the table from his hair as he moved his head.

"What's that smell?" he finally decided to ask.

"What smell?"

"You." He pointed at the red head. "You smell weird."

"Really?" he pulled his shirt a little and sniffed it. "Oh! It's the insect repellant. It's working so far. No flea bites yet." He grinned.

"Oh, ok, I was just wondering." He shrugged.

Axel chuckled, "Anyways, what's next on the timetable?"

"Ah..." he quickly reached to his back pocket and took out the folded up mini booklet then flipped it open, "We've got room time devotion next."

"What's that?" he asked as he tried to look at the paper.

"Well," he placed the booklet on the table so the red head could see, "It's just another way of telling us to get to know the other cabin members better, sometimes we'd talk about the camp, why we decided to come, read a bit out of the bible and then talk about it." He shrugged, unsure if his explanation was good enough or not.

"Oh yeah, ok. I got cha." He flipped the booklet over so he could have a read of it. "Room time devotion huh? No problem." He grinned as he looked at the timetable. "Oh, that's weird. After that, it's free time till 7.30 then its dinner." He quirked up an eyebrow at the strange timetable. "We just had free time, not that I'm complaining or anything." He laughed as he picked up the booklet and handed it back to the blond.

"Yeah well, last year, they crammed in too many things for us to do, and we hardly had any free time. I guess they decided to give us a bit more this year." He stuck the booklet into his back pocket and drank his tea.

"Ah, too much of something is never a good thing." He shook his head as he gathered his knowledge, "Too little of something else, is not that great either."

Roxas merely snorted and drank the rest of his tea before making himself another cup.

* * *

During the service, Axel almost fell asleep. The blond would give the red head a hard nudge into the rib cage to make him wake up. Even after that nudge, he would slowly eventually start nodding his head off, gaining the attention of the blond again. This time Roxas stood on his shoe, making the red head hold back a cry of pain. 

Lucky for them, they sat at the very back of the church hall, where not many people were.

"What?!" he harshly whispered to the blond as he pulled his leg up on the chair and nursed his throbbing foot.

"You almost fell asleep, _twice_." He scowled at the red head.

"I'm sorry ok? I was too into sports today and I guess I tired myself out more than I thought I did." He reasoned as he embarrassedly looked away.

Roxas sighed, "Ok, fine. Just…try to stay awake for the rest of the service ok?"

"Yeah, ok, I can do that." He put his leg back down and folded his arms, keeping his attention on the speaker which happened to belong to another church, which was HBBC.

The red head had to put up with talking about 'climbing that mountain' for another half an hour before it was over, but even then there was still another five, ten or so more minutes before they could actually leave.

By then, the red head was on the verge of falling straight to sleep, given half the chance. His eyes were bloodshot and he kept on jiggling his leg or doing _something_ to keep himself awake for just that little bit longer.

When it was all over, he had to hold back from running out of the door and screaming out, 'FREEDOM!!' or else Roxas would probably glare and kick him or something. The red head remained calm, cool and collected, up until they entered the cabin and closed the door where he actually fell to his knees and let out a long, tired sigh.

Roxas wasn't sure if he should be worried or annoyed as he approached the red head, "Go brush your teeth before you fall asleep, _again_."

He grinned as he looked over his shoulder at the blond. "Ok." He got up and walked over to his bunk, rummaging around in his bag for his tooth paste and tooth brush then walking out of the door towards the toilets.

He eventually joined the red head in the toilets who was slowly brushing his teeth and almost falling asleep as well.

"Don't make me kick you." The blond warned as he turned the taps on.

Axel immediately woke up and quickly brushed his teeth. Once he finished washing his mouth out, he beamed the blond a toothy smile, showing off his pearly whites, which was pretty surprising since he's a smoker.

After collecting his things, he went back to their cabin and when the blond returned some minutes later, the red head was already snoozing away in his sleeping bag.

Roxas closed the door and switched off the lights. He waited a while to let his eyes adjust to the darkness before moving around to his bunk and get changed into his pajamas.

Once he got into his sleeping bag, he quietly murmured out a goodnight to the red head.

He was pleasantly surprised when Axel mumbled it back to him.

Roxas went to sleep with a smile on his face.

* * *

The blond woke up sometime in the middle of the night and he heard rustling coming from somewhere. When he looked around, he noticed that the rustling came from the red head's sleeping bag and he wondered what was wrong. 

He was about to brush it off as either Axel was trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in or a nightmare. It became apparent a few seconds later that it was neither.

"Dammit, I jinxed myself." He heard the red head curse lightly as he tossed and turned around.

"Axel?" he was careful not to be too loud. "What are you doing?"

"I'm scratching, I got the stupid flea bites."

"Stop scratching, you'll make it worse. Didn't you use the repellant?" he sat up and stared at the red head.

"I _did_, I guess it didn't work." He grumbled and continued scratching.

"Axel, stop scratching."

"But it's so damn itchy." He was now sitting up on his bunk as well.

"Stop it now or I will kick you where it hurts." He warned as he pointed at the red head even though Axel probably couldn't see it.

"Ouch Roxy…that's really mean." He stopped scratching momentarily, "You wouldn't do that would you?"

"I could, and I would. Now stop scratching and go back to sleep."

"But it's too hard." He whined.

They froze a little when somebody shifted from one of the other bunks. But when nobody woke up and protested at them, they continued whispering.

The blond started rummaging around his bag in search of something, "Here's some moisturizer, use it." He tossed the red head the item which fell on top of the sleeping bag with a soft thud.

"Will it help?" he asked as he picked up the item, his eyes finally adjusting to the darkness enough to see a little.

"A little."

"Ah, whatever. Anything to stop the itch." He ignored a snicker coming from the blond. "Oh ha ha Roxas…"

The blond went back to sleep a little while after that. The itching didn't stop, but eventually Axel tired himself enough to fall right back to sleep. The red head woke up the next morning feeling more tired than he did the night before.

He looked at his mobile and it wasn't even 7am yet. He was still tired, but at the same time, he felt horribly restless.

"I'm gonna go take a shower, I can't take this anymore." He grumbled as he took out some clean clothes from his bag, a towel, shampoo and a pair of sandals. He heard Roxas mutter out something incoherent as he got off his bunk and walked towards the door.

It was an extremely cold morning, and as he walked out of the cabin, he could see his breath in front of him. He shivered as he gently closed the door and scurried along the concrete path towards the toilets where the showers were also located.

He claimed the shower stall at the very end, furthest away from the door. And as he stepped inside, he closed the stall door behind him and turned on the shower taps to an extreme temperature before pulling the shower curtains in between him. As the water warmed itself up, he left his clothes on the hook at the back of the door and the towel on top of his clothes. He bent over and placed the shampoo on the floor and proceeded to strip down as quickly as possible without exposing himself to too much cold air.

He stepped under the water and it burned, but at the same time, it just felt so good. The heat was killing the itch. He'll endure the heat as long as it stops him from scratching.

He would occasionally turn the tap to a hotter temperature once he got too use to the one he was under. He never bothered using the shampoo he brought over with him as he continued to stand under the burning water.

His cheeks were flushed red and he couldn't concentrate on anything but the pressure of hot water droplets on his back. He didn't even notice someone coming into the toilets either.

"Axel?"

The red head jerked his head up and he suddenly felt horribly dizzy, "Yeah?"

"Why is it so steamy in here?"

He grabbed his head to stop it from spinning around and tried not to suddenly fall over, "Err…I'm uh…taking a shower?" he leaned on the wall for support.

"Yeah, right. More like cooking yourself." He retorted with a snort.

"Uh…yeah…well…" the red head replied tiredly.

"Axel? Are you ok?" the blond sounded very worried and even knocked on the stall door.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He didn't know how long he had been standing there for, but by the way his head was feeling, it probably had been a long time.

"Axel, put on a freaking towel and lemme see the damage."

The red head was silent, but within a few seconds, the shower taps were turned off and the door opened to reveal a slightly disheveled looking red head. The sudden wave of heat coming out of the stall towards the blond suddenly made him sweat a little. And by the looks of it, the blond wasn't sure if Axel was sick or if he was getting heat stroke.

The red head's shoulders were slumped and his eyes seemed very tired then Roxas noticed the bright red spots dotted all over his reddened body, "The flea bites I got were never _this_ bad…Even so, you didn't have to burn yourself." he reasoned as he scrutinized at it, "Hm…Maybe you're more sensitive to the flea bites."

The red head shrugged and then suddenly rested his head on the blonds' shoulder. "I'm tired…"

"Ah…" he blushed a little, "Do you wanna sleep in for the day?"

"I don't wanna go back into that fucking room…" he muttered, unaware that he was getting Roxas a little wet due to his hair dripping onto the blonds' pajamas.

"I can ask Geoff to get you a different room, one of the adult lounges. It should be flea-free." He laughed a little while Axel merely grunted.

In the distance, they could hear the banging of doors and the shouting of words, "Spell Casters! Kitchen Duty!!"

"It's about 7.15 now, I'm sure Geoff should be awake, hopefully." He grabbed Axel's shoulder to put a bit of distance in between them, "Get changed and I'll go find him ok?" the red head looked as though he was about to fall over any second. "Axel?" he peered at the said person worriedly.

"Oh," he woke up a little, his eyes gaining back a little bit of awareness, "Yeah, ok, sure."

When the red head closed the door of the stall, the blond stayed behind a little bit longer before quickly going off to find his pastor. When he found him, he asked if Axel could have a room in the adult lounges, and after a bit of reasoning, the older man happily allowed the red head to have a room to himself.

"Ah flea bites, those nasty things. Just hate them. How is Axel?" Geoff asked as he walked with the blond towards their cabin.

"He looks pretty tired to be honest."

"Ah yes, those little vampires sucked his blood dry didn't they?" he chuckled as he walked inside to see that the red head was not in. "Where is he?"

"He was in the shower before, I'll go see if-"

The red head appeared by the doorway, lightly scratching his abdomen. "Good morning…" he tried to greet them in his normal voice, but it sounded worn out.

"Wow…you look a little worse for wear." The older man joked then turned back to the blond, "Which one is his bag?"

"The black one." He pointed to the bag on the small plank.

"Ok, could you bring his sleeping bag too?"

"Yup."

The red head stared at them tiredly and confusedly as the two walked out of the cabin and he slowly followed them. "Where are we going?"

"You're going to a new room," the blond smiled and tried to fold the sleeping bag into a neater pile, "Come on." He nudged his head towards the adult lounges and followed the older man.

The whole day was different after that, without the red head around. Roxas felt almost lost. He brought the red head breakfast to eat then left when it was time for morning service.

"The path to self discovery begins with an open heart and the willingness to accept the consequences. Be it good or bad." A few people nodded to Geoff's words, as though they've experienced the same thing before. Roxas wasn't able to empathize. "People may ridicule you, mock you, pressure you, but remain strong in what you believe is right and you will persevere."

The blond knew there was a hidden meaning in his words, but his mind was too caught up with worrying about the red head to really fully think it through.

He came back after kitchen duty with two plates of food for himself and the red head for lunch. He left shortly after they finished it to bring back the dirty dishes to the kitchen and left the red head to rest a bit more.

Axel joined them after an hour into the group meeting and insisted he was fine and he didn't need anymore sleep when the blond asked.

When that was over, it was time for sports activities. He didn't play any sports, but he had enough energy to laugh at them though, especially the blond. Sometimes the blond would come over and kick him on his shoe. "Stop scratching them."

"But they're so itchy!!" he whined and unwillingly stilled his fingers.

After the sports activity was over, the both of them agreed to meet at the swings later because the blond needed to take a shower.

When Roxas was done, he found the red head and drawing in the sketchbook at the playground.

"So Axel," he greeted casually as he sat on the swing by the said person, "What do you think of this camp so far?"

He looked up from his sketchbook and stared at the blond, "It's fine, as long as you're around." He smirked and went back to drawing.

The blond nodded and pushed himself off with the soles of his shoes into a gentle swinging motion. "You don't have to pretend to like it you know." He reasoned as he stared up at the sky. "If you want, you can go home early."

The red head stopped sketching and slowly turned his head to Roxas, "Do you want me to go?" he asked warily.

The blond skidded to a light stop and stared at the ground then eventually replied, "No…"

Axel smirked and started sketching again, "Then I'll stay. Besides," he shrugged, "We've already paid for it right? And I got upgraded to a nice kick-ass room with a comfy bed." He laughed when the blond retorted that comment with a shove of his foot to the swing that the red head occupied.

By the end of the day, Axel was still scratching although not as much. Maybe the fact that he took a shower whenever he could, contributed to it.

* * *

It was the last full day at camp and it passed far too quickly to everybody's liking. For breakfast, instead of the usual cereal and toast, they were served bacon and eggs and baked beans. Sora had asked the kitchen staff if they could have waffles tomorrow for breakfast. 

Roxas _did_ rave on about Thursday and Friday mornings just the other day now that the red head recalled.

For free time, they were allowed to use the pools located near the adult lounges. When Roxas insisted that he didn't want to hop in because it was too cold, the red head teased him, saying how he probably couldn't swim. In retaliation to that comment, Axel got shoved into the pool by the blond.

"You did _not_ just push me into the pool." The red head stood up, waist deep in water, soaking wet from head to toe, ignoring the laughs coming from a certain brunet and the smug look from his silver haired companion.

"Just so you know, I _can_ swim. I'd just rather not swim right now." Roxas smirked as he folded his arms, taking a step back when the red head came close to the edge and hopped out. His clothes dripping wet and his shoes squishing with every step he took.

"Totally reminds me of a song." He twisted at the hem of his shirt and the water poured out and dripped to the ground.

"And what would that be?" he took another step back when the red head approached.

"Click Five, Just the Girl." He placed his hands on his hips as he stepped towards the blond.

The blond quirked up an eyebrow. "How does me pushing you into the pool remind you of that particular song."

"Ah," he furrowed his eyebrows then tapped his forehead in thought, "What were the lyrics again?" he gripped his chin, "Oh right," he smirked as he cleared his throat. "She pushed me in the pool at our last school reunion." He sang as he stepped closer.

"Oh, is that all." He scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "I am _not_ a girl."

"I didn't say that you were, I was merely recalling the lyrics." He smirked as he stood in front of the blond then quickly snatched him up in a bone crushing hug.

Roxas hadn't expected the red head to do something like that, the sudden coolness and wetness on his skin made him shiver.

"Awwh! You're getting me wet!" he tried to force Axel off but his arms were squished in between their bodies.

"This is payback! Pay back I tell you!!" he cackled in delight while the blond continued to squirm in his arms.

After getting changed into a new batch of clean, dry clothes, they met each other again on the field for room time devotion. The whole cabin agreed to have their last session outside rather than inside. They sat on the grass and read a part out of the bible, chatted about the meaning behind the words, then finally ended the devotion in prayer.

Both Axel and Roxas were surprised when Josh, Chris and Jake approached them.

"Hey."

The red head eyed them cautiously, he hadn't been on best terms with them since day one of the camp. "Sup." He gave them a nod of his head.

"Look, I'm really sorry for what I said about the two of you on Monday." Josh looked away from them as he apologized. The two boys behind him nodded their heads in agreement. "And yeah, I know I came off as a jerk, but I'm trying to change that." He raised his hand and rubbed the back of his neck with it. "And um…well…I was wondering if we could start over again."

The blond looked up at the red head then smiled as he turned back to the brunet haired boy, "Sure, everybody deserves a second chance right?" he extended a hand to the boy who stared at it in shock.

"Cool," he laughed a little as he took the hand in his own. "We're about to play a short game of soccer, do you guys wanna join us?"

"Bring it on." Axel smirked.

For the next half hour or so, the five boys and a few more others played soccer, occasionally switching field positions every now and then. The red head proved to be an excellent goal keeper, what, with his long legs and arms and all.

When the game was finished, they found out they actually forgot to keep score. So the winner was left undetermined.

"Yeah well, when the winners of the teams are announced, we'll see who the _real_ winners are." Chris panted out as he collapsed on the grass.

"Dude, the Thresholders were beating the Storm Riders by at _least_ a thousand points." Jake was trying to cool himself down with a wave of his hand. "You're so last."

"The Ground Shakers beat the both of you!" Josh smirked at his friends as he bounced the soccer ball from one foot to another.

"We'll find out in a few hours." The blond smiled as he flopped himself on the grass, lying on his back as he stared into the darkening sky. Somebody's tummy growled and everybody turned to Josh who blushed slightly in embarrassment.

"I wonder what we're having for dinner tonight." He smiled sheepishly as he scratched his cheek.

"I heard we're having turkey."

"I thought we're having roast chicken."

"Well, I don't care as long as it's edible." The red head clicked his tongue as his arms supported his weight as he leaned back. "I liked the cheesecake we had on Monday though."

"Man! That was like the _best_ dessert I have _ever_ had!" Jake cried out and everybody nodded their heads in agreement as they laughed.

For dinner, they had roast beef and roast vegetables and apple crumble for dessert.

* * *

The church hall was crowded and noisy. The teenage occupants were restless with abundant energy and enthusiasm. Everybody was hall waiting for the team winners to be announced. Matt was holding a piece of paper with all the scores totaled up. 

"And in fourth place, are the Ground Shakers with 3,250 point."

If possible, Josh's mouth would've dropped to the floor.

"In third place are the Thresholders with 3,600 points."

Jake smacked his forehead while Chris snickered behind his hand.

"In second place are the Storm Riders," immediately, Axel, Roxas and the other teams members jumped up and whooped in delight. Shouting out 'Spell Casters' over and over again in a continuous mantra.

With the winners announced, the final day duties were distributed. The team on last place had to clean out the toilets. Everybody cringed. Third place winners had to clean up the food hall after lunch, second place winners had to clean up the church hall while the first place winners just had to make sure their cabins were rubbish and junk food free.

Once the night service was over, everybody would head over to the food hall and eat cookies and hot chocolate. When it came time for bed, only a quarter of the teenagers decided to go to sleep.

The occupants of cabin 8 stayed up the whole entire night, talking to each other, sometimes drawing on a sleeping person's face in another room with a black permanent marker then snickering about it. They were quite surprised at how much of a heavy sleeper the people they drew on were.

Come morning time, one of them would walk around with a fake mustache and a large mole on one of their cheeks. One would have horrible looking black chicken poxes while a couple others walked around looking as though they belonged to the rock band 'KISS'.

They had a good laugh about it.

Before they knew it, it was time to leave. A few girls cried, some exchanged emails and phone numbers, other said they'll see each other again next year or some other time.

"Yo Axel, can't fit anymore in can ya?" Matt called out as he lugged a few bags towards the trailers.

"Nah, I can't even close the trunk properly." He opened the boot and shifted a few bags around to make some more room so that he could close the lid.

It was 2:13pm before they left the camp facility.

Roxas valiantly tried to stay awake to keep the red head company, but after half an hour, he was already snoozing away. Axel chuckled as he picked up the cup of coffee from the cup holder and took a sip from it. He bought it as soon as they left.

After he placed it back in the cup holder, he reached for the volume control and turned it down low before switching on the radio to 96.9 FM. He nodded his head to the music as he drove, tapping on the steering wheel as he mouthed the lyrics to the song he knew all too well.

"And that was 'Ready to Die' by Andrew W.K requested by David." The DJ sounded from the radio, "Next up we have on the request list is 'The Innocent' by Good Charlotte requested by Michelle. You're listening to 'That's so Emo on 96.9 FM.'"

The song started playing and the blond stirred in his sleep a little. Axel quickly turned down the volume.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when the blond didn't wake up. He decided not to listen to the radio after that.

By the time the got back to church, it was just past 7 o'clock. The blond slept through the whole entire trip but he woke up when the red head turned off the engine of his car. It took Roxas a while to register that they were back in civilization.

After helping the blond with the luggage, they talked a bit before he had to go. Sora talked to Riku while their parents talked to the pastor.

"Watch the sun set tomorrow?" the blond asked as he tried to stay awake long enough to hold a decent conversation with the red head before he had to leave for home.

"Yeah sure." He smiled as he placed his whole weight onto one foot.

"You're coming in on Sunday right? We're all gonna re-cap about what we did at camp." He tried to rub the sleep away from his eyes.

"Mmhmm, I can do that." He nodded his head, "No sunrise?"

"Do you wanna see it?"

"I wouldn't mind."

"Ok, cool." He smiled and swayed slightly.

"Ok, ok. Go home and get some rest." He turned the blond around and gave him a gentle push towards where Sora was. "Goodnight."

The blond waved and smiled sleepily. "Goodnight."

When they each reached their respective homes, they fell atop their beds and instantly dreamt.

* * *

Bleary eyes slowly opened to the semi bright rays that peeked through the blinds. He sat up from his bed and wondered why he felt so refreshed but incredibly hungry. He stared at the clock that blinked at him from his bed side table and widened his eyes in shock. Roxas had slept through the whole morning and a bit of the afternoon. It was just after 2pm. 

He yawned and then he smiled as he stretched before climbing out of his bed to go through his morning routines.

When he came back into his room, he noticed something twitch from the corner of his eye. He couldn't find the source as he walked closer to the table. But as he turned away, he heard the soft buzzing of plastic over wood then realized that it came from his phone.

He picked it up and looked at the screen where the words, 'You have 5 messages' stared at him. He wouldn't help but smirk as he pushed the button to go into his inbox.

As he suspected, all five came from the red head. Just as he suspected. The first one he received was at 9.26am.

'Yo Roxy, r u up yet? Reply if u r, but if not. im going back to sleep.' He let out a soft chuckle as he went to the next message that he received at 10.52am.

'Roxy, not up yet? Good, im still tired. G'night.'

The next two were practically all the same, but the last text he received just minutes ago said, 'Ok, that's it. im coming over now. I'll sleep earlier tonight instead.' It even had a smiley face at the end.

He shook his head as he placed his phone back on the table and proceeded to change out of his pajamas. By the time he finished changing and pulled his socks on, he could hear the red head's car coming around and waiting patiently outside.

When he came outside from his room, he noticed that his brother's door was wide open, meaning that he's out of the house. And as he walked down the stairs, he could hear nothing. That probably meant that his mother and Sora went out to do grocery shopping without him.

Now that he thought about it, he vaguely remembered seeing Sora grinning at him and telling him not to worry about going to the supermarket with them. Darn…his brother probably bought a lot of unnecessary things again.

He let out a soft sigh as he tugged on his shoes and picked up the phone that started ringing in his pocket.

"Yes Axel," he answered immediately, "I'm coming out now." The said person merely let out a noise of what seemed to be between a chuckle and a scoff. He smiled a little as he hung up and opened the door to see the red head smiling and waving at him.

When the blond hopped in the car, the red head pulled out an item from the side of his door and shoved it in front of the blonds' face.

"Reno told me it arrived on Wednesday. Wanna listen to it later?" he asked excitedly as he brought it back to his side and looked at the list at the back.

"What happened to the whole music trading thing?" Roxas laughed as he pulled on his seatbelt.

"Ah true…" he leaned over and threw the CD into the glove compartment, "Kupo?" he raised his eyebrows as he grinned at the blond.

"Kupo." He nodded and then smiled as well.

* * *

"So what week does this make?" Roxas asked as he bit a small chunk of sea salt ice cream while leaning on the front hood of the red head's car. 

"You of all people should know." The red head smirked. He was sitting on the hood with his feet propped up on the front bumper.

"Yeah, happy third week anniversary." He smiled as he licked the bottom of the popsicle that threatened to drip onto his hand.

"Yup, this is our third week of friendship." Axel smiled as he turned to face the setting sun. "That's really a shocker for me."

"Why's that?" he asked as he turned to the red head.

"Ah…well, long story short, I'm not good when it comes to making new friends." He scratched his cheek and turned away from the blond.

"Bad first impression?" Roxas suggested as he bit into the ice cream.

"It's the way I look."

"They don't know any better." He reasoned as he looked back at the sunset.

"As if you do?" the red head smirked, ignoring the slight wetness dripping on his hand.

"No, but I'm starting to." He turned to the red head as he spoke.

Axel raised his eyebrows as he stared at the blond who sat beside him, feeling pleasantly shocked.

"Axel?"

"Yeah?"

"Your ice cream is dripping on you." Roxas pointed at his pants.

"Oh shit?!"

* * *

Roxas had set the alarm to wake him up at 5am. He went to bed extra early that night so that he might be able to wake up in time, but it was a lot harder than he had expected. 

He decided to put it on snooze while he slowly tried to wake up a little bit at a time. His alarm clock rang once every five minutes, and every time it rang, he would groan and smack the button to make it go back to snooze.

Eventually, he got up at 5.30 and decided that it was time to get ready.

When he was done with his morning routines, and getting changed, he was downstairs in the kitchen, writing up a note for his parents and brother, saying that he'll be out but he'll make it to church on time.

Just as he put the pen down, he heard the familiar noise that belonged to none other than Axel's car.

He had his phone in his hand and he quickly picked answered before the first beat started. "Good morning. I'm coming out now." Again, he heard another half chuckle, half scoff as he slid on his shoes and quietly closed the door behind him.

They spent an hour watching the sun rise into the horizon before they decided to go to Kupo's for breakfast. Rikku was back from her unfortunate trip and since they gave her such a heart welcome back, they asked if they could get a discount.

The girl laughed and said no.

Axel had to go to work the next day, but he promised to meet again the day after. Roxas surprised him by going to see him instead.

It was only around fifteen minutes from his place to Axel's by skateboard. No big right?

Wrong.

The red head made the blond promise not to do something like that ever again.

"Some pedophile might've kidnapped you!" he reasoned

"How did you get that into your head?" the blond asked incredulously.

"Hell if I know," he shrugged as he took a seat by the counter top. "I'm just…you know. Hinting at possibilities…" he picked up the spoon filled with cereal and stuffed it in his mouth.

Roxas raised his eyebrows as he watched the red head eat. "Are you eating cereal…without the milk?" he walked closer to get a better look.

"Yeah." He let out a soft sigh as he picked up another spoonful.

The blond couldn't suppress his smile, "Why…?"

"Because I didn't check if there was any milk in the fridge before I poured myself a bowl of cereal. This is like…the millionth time I've done this. Next time I should just pour milk in before the cereal." He huffed as he stuffed another spoon full of dry cornflakes into his mouth.

Roxas laughed, "Ok." He shook his head in disbelief. "So, what's up?" he asked as he sat on the couch in the living room.

"Well…" he sniffed as he gripped his chin, "I was bored and lonely."

"Ok, what about now?"

"I'm excited." He grinned as he turned to the blond.

The blond quirked up an eyebrow at the red head, "Er…What for?"

"Because now we can go ice skating!" he jumped off the seat and fully turned to the blond, the spoon still in hand.

"What the-Ice skating? Today?" he stared at the red head as though he grew an extra head.

"Yeah! It'll be totally awesome!" he picked up the cereal bowl, stuck it in the fridge and threw the spoon into the sink.

"You." He pointed at Axel, "Want to go ice skating, today?"

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" he raised an eyebrow at the blond.

"Well no, but why the sudden urge?" he asked as he watched Axel disappeared down the hallway into his room.

"Dunno, I was just thinking about something random and then the figure 8 popped into my head." He shouted out from his room.

"Do you even know how to skate?" he asked as he pushed himself off the couch and walked down the corridor.

"Nope, but I hope you do!"

"Sure, it's like rollerblading." He shrugged as he stopped short of the red head's room.

"Cool. You wanna borrow a jacket or something?"

"Er…" he looked down at his own clothes. He was only wearing a black t shirt and a short sleeve button up shirt that he left unbuttoned and a pair of black pants. "Yeah, probably."

An item was suddenly tossed out from the red head's room and then another, "Here's a scarf too. Do you want gloves?"

"Yes please." He spoke as he placed the black scarf around his neck and then proceeded to put on the black jacket. 'It's a little big, but it's quite snuggly.' He thought to himself as he zipped up.

"Do jeans keep you warm?"

"I don't know, but a lot of people wear jeans during winter." He spoke as he pulled the scarf off and proceeded to wrap it around his neck properly.

"Hmm…Ok." He came out shortly after while he was pulling on a black sweater. "Here're your gloves." he walked past the blond while holding out the gloves in one hand and something else in the other.

"Thanks." Roxas spoke as he took the items from the red head and stuffed them in the pocket, there was no need for them now, although he felt a little stuffy now that he was wearing a scarf. Maybe he should take it off till later.

"No problemo." He plopped himself on the couch and pulled on a pair of black socks.

"How was work?" the blond suddenly brought up as he pulled off the scarf that wrapped around his neck.

"Meh." He shrugged, "Work is work. It's boring but at least I get something out of it." he smirked as he stood up from the couch and ruffled the blonds' hair as he walked towards the door.

The time it took to get to the skating ring was around twenty or so minutes. The blond quickly wrapped the scarf around his neck as soon as he entered the cold arena. There were lots of people inside. Although he shouldn't be surprised, considering that it _is_ the school holidays.

He could see his breath in front of him as he pulled on the black gloves that he borrowed from the red head.

"Roxy, we gotta choose which skate sizes we want." Axel called out as he walked from the ticketing booth towards the counter where they rented out skates.

It took roughly five minutes for the red head to find out what size fitted him. The first one he tried was too small, the next one was too big.

"You want one that's kind of small, but comfortable." Roxas explained as he took off his shoes and pulled on the ice skates.

"I wouldn't know." The red head shrugged as he tied the laces together. "I'm new to this, so I don't even know what it's suppose to be like." He scowled a little, the skates felt horribly uncomfortable. "Should I get a different size?"

"Does it hurt?" he asked as he stood up from the bench.

"No…But it feels…weird." He reasoned as he let out a sigh, his breath visible in front of him.

"Stand up." He commanded as he offered the red head his hand for balance and support.

"Er…Ok." He pushed himself off the bench and lost his balance for a spilt second. He managed the grab the blonds' hand before he fell back down on the seat.

"How does it feel?" he asked with a smile.

"Er…" he placed his whole weight on one foot and then did the same to the other. "So-so I guess."

"Cool." He released the hold he had on the red head and bent over to pick up Axel's shoes. "I'll go put these on the bleachers over there." He pointed to the seats across the ice ring.

"You're gonna ditch me?!" he cried out.

"Just for a while." He laughed as he entered the ring and skated across gracefully. "I'll be back." He called back when he reached the half way point, careful not to bump into any people.

'Looks easy enough, I can totally do this.' He thought to himself as he took his first step inside the ring. He slipped but managed to grab the railings before he fell on his butt. 'Ok, maybe not.' He got back up on wobbly feet. 'Geez, this is a lot harder than I thought.' He scowled at himself as he tried to stand up normally.

"Doing ok Axel?"

The said person slipped and cursed.

Roxas laughed as he offered a hand to help the red head get up.

It took Axel half an hour to get use to the slipperiness of the skating ring but during that time, he had fallen over at least a dozen times.

In the end, he was sure he had fractured a bone or two in his hind quarters, but it was well worth it.

Considering that he got to hold onto Roxas' hands as he learnt how to skate. 'Maybe we should go ice skating more often.' He thought to himself with a smile as he slowly skated beside the blond. As soon as he's about to fall over, he'd grab hold of the blonds' hand for balance. Sometimes it'll work, other times, they'd end up falling on top of each other and then laugh about it.

Almost two hours later, he got use to the skating ring and didn't fall over as much as he use to. He'd get smug about it as he tried to do a 360 degree turn only to fail and fall on his butt again. The blond would laugh at his horrible attempt at the figure 8. It came out more like the figure B if there was one.

* * *

It was late at night, and the red head had just dropped off the blond at his house shortly after dinner and just before his curfew. He drove off shortly after singing 'Ice cold Roxas' one more time, leaving the blond in a slight huff. 

Axel was now sitting in the living room of a certain friend's house.

"So Axel, how did you find the camp?" the dirty haired blond asked as he handed the red head a can of soda.

"Ah…" he took the offered drink and scratched his cheek as he searched his mind for the right words to explain, "There was a lot of preaching, and it felt a bit like brainwashing."

"Wow…" Demyx widened his eyes in surprise. "But at least you had a much more eventful week than me." He grinned as he opened the can and took a sip from it.

"Eventful, true." He stared at the unopened drink in his hand, "But I prefer to be at home. If you wanted, we could've traded places." He smirked as he turned to the blond.

"Sure, that is, if you don't mind me hogging Roxas all to myself." His smirk turned into a laugh when he saw the look of uproar from the red head.

"I change my mind. I would never trade my place beside Roxas, ever. _Ever_." He clarified with a point of the finger.

"Ok, ok. Geez. Calm down." He laughed at the red head who stood up and went into the kitchen for something to eat.

Demyx noticed the slight limp from the red head, but didn't think too much of it.

* * *

Ugh…Roxas' Japanese voice is just so hot and husky…Damn Axel, you lucky dog…Lol… 

(Sobs…) I prefer writing one-shots…


	56. Coming together

Aww, I loved the last chapter, especially the ice skating part!

**delayed-reaction** – Happy you liked it! Lols, I wanna go ice skating too…But I'm a poor student…Lols.  
**Ranchdressing** – OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG! There's Roxas' story too!? SHIT!!!!!! I WANT! (Hyperventilates) Oh…I think…I like both styles of naming them. Lols.  
**The Mad Empty Shell** – No he doesn't cut himself, it was just one time he felt like he should repent because he thought it was his fault that Roxas got hurt. And also, the part about Jesse McCartney, that was hilarious. But even if I love Roxas to death, which I do, I would still never listen to Jesse's song. Lols.  
**Kev the She-Wolf** – You and me both…(Laughs evilly) Worry not, Hayner shall appear soon enough.  
**mornir-brightflame** – Oh shit…I changed that…Omg…so horrible of me!! Omg, kyaaa, that was so embarrassing!! Lols. When I was reading the review, I dropped everything that I was holding when I saw my mistake that you pointed out and literally went bug eyed…You get? Bug eyed!! Lols. Omg, I'm so stupid…  
**Colonel Roxas-chan** – Lols, ah the powers of influence.  
**Malik's Bunny Mika** – Yeah, we all know Axel enjoyed the ice skating thing to death. He'd do it everyday if it means he gets to hold Roxy's hand. Lols.  
**WGreyB** – Lols, I loved that part too. I had a nice movie playing in my head for that part.  
**pride1289** – Aww! Get well soon! Feel better ok? Get lots of sleep and drink lots of water. Rawrs.  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Omg, you're sick too? IT'S AN EPIDEMIC, AN EPIDEMIC I TELL YOU!!! Anyways, get well soon, drink lots of water and get lots of rest. Lols.  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Oh, ho, ho…Demyx, silly Demyx. Lovable Demyx…We'll see him this time around. Lols.  
**PaopuTheif** – Aww! Thanks so much! Your review put a smile on my face. (Grins)  
**SARA** – Yeah, you're not the only one who thinks that. Personally, I thought I was a bit stupid for doing that. (Snorts­)  
**Launch shinra** – Not yet, but do you wanna recommend a song for me? Lols. And yeah…You're person number two to noticed, but I was hoping it would've CHANGED by now. Dammit! (Checks again)  
**defy destiny** – Yes, we all know Roxas can't ever hate dear, lovable Axel. I mean, _I_ sure as hell can't. Lols.  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Aw worry not, he's still fine. Lols. _Fine_…  
**Conductor of Darkness** – Lols, the threats…But a pair of scissors is actually quite scary…Maybe not so from a spoon. Lols.

Woohoo! (Jumps up in the air) 200k word count people! Hoorah! I really don't know if that's a good thing or not…

* * *

"Tell me again why we're here?" the red head asked as he looked at the five cards he held in his hands and tried not to frown.

"We're short two players for the poker play-offs." The dirty haired blond grinned as he placed down two cards that he didn't want and picked up another two.

Axel sighed and his eyes shifted over to their statistics teacher. "Couldn't you guys, oh I dunno…find somebody else to play poker with you?" he asked as he waved his hand about, 'I was planning on taking Roxy somewhere nice…'

"We could, but since we had so much fun last time, I figured we should go at it again." Demyx laughed, "Ain't that right Luxord?" he nudged at the blond man that sat beside him.

"Indeed." He smirked, "Although this does nothing to hone my skills at poker, at least I'd get a bit of a laugh out of it." he reasoned as he placed down one card and picked another up from the deck.

"Oh you're far too modest Luxord…" Axel spoke sarcastically as he threw in three cards and picked up another three from the deck.

The blond and slate haired boy remained quiet as they placed down their unwanted cards for new ones.

Mid-way into their poker game, somebody's phone started ringing.

"It's not mine." Roxas spoke, "It's not my ring tone."

"Don't look at me." The red head raised his hands in defense.

"Oh, right. It's mine." The older man smirked as he placed his cards down and moved to pick up his phone. "Hello, this is Luxord speaking."

Demyx almost laughed but Zexion managed to clamp his hand over his mouth. This call sounded serious.

"Oh Jack. Yes, I'll be coming over today." The blond man nodded as he turned away from the group of teenagers.

"Going where?" the red head whispered to the blond.

"As if _I_ know?" he quirked up an eyebrow in disbelief.

The older man chuckled, "Just start without me Jack. Surely Elizabeth can't thrash you _that_ much." He smirked as he twiddled with a plastic poker chip. "Yes, yes. I'll be there soon." He hung up without saying goodbye. "Unfortunately my good friends, this will be the last game for the night."

Demyx finally managed to pry the slate haired boy's hand away, "You're ditching us for someone else?! _Two_ someone else?!"

"As I said, it is unfortunate." He had the grace to feel somewhat…guilty. Of course, it was hard to tell if he meant it or not.

The dirty haired blond scoffed, "Fine." He slid all his poker chips into the center pile. "All in."

"WHAT?!" Axel snapped his head to the dirty haired blond as though he's finally gone crazy. Even Zexion looked a little shocked. "All in? Demyx-" the said person raised his hand to silence the red head. A look of seriousness present in his face.

Axel couldn't tell if he was faking it or not. He hardly showed that face to anybody, and rarely ever got angry. This must really mean something. He looked back down at the cards he had in his hand, only two pairs. He shrugged, "Ok, I'm game." He shoved all his poker chips into the pot.

It was Roxas' turn to stare at the red head. "Axel!" he cried out in horror. "You can't be serious."

"Hey, it's the last game, it's all in or nothing." He smirked as he turned to face the blond, "Or are you scared."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement. It made the blond huff in indignation before he took pushed his pile into the middle. He only had a three of a kind, but he hoped it was good enough to win this last round.

"Good on ya Roxas." He smirked as he landed a hearty pat to the back on the blond. "We're not playing with real money anyways."

Zexion looked at his cards, he somehow managed to get himself a straight, although it was a small one. He knew he had a pretty good chance of winning, but it all depends on luck and chance in this game of poker. He placed his cards face down on the table and gently pushed his pile of chips in.

The older man let out a chuckle as he too pushed his pile of chips in, "Fine, if you want to finish this game so quickly, we'll have it your way. Now reveal."

He tossed his cards down to reveal a full house of 3 ten's and 2 ace's. Axel threw down his pathetic two pairs with a scowl while Roxas slowly placed his own cards down.

"Looks like your Lady luck has left you." Luxord smirked as he looked at the three of a kind. He then turned to the slate haired boy who revealed his miserable straight. "Come, come Demyx, we haven't got all night."

The said person merely raised his head higher as he placed down his cards and reveled at the faces that were being made at him. They gaped at his four of a kind and assumed that it was either dumb luck or he knew what he was doing when he decided to go all in. Luxord was the first to speak.

"This is the second time I've been left flabbergasted by you lot." Luxord concluded as he stood up from his seat. "It won't be the same next time." He smirked as he walked out of the house with a curt wave.

As soon as their teacher was gone and out of sight, Axel wouldn't shut up about how Demyx totally 'floored' Luxord and Zexion would congratulate the dirty haired blond by nuzzling into his neck and whispering words into his ear, making Demyx blush and return back to his bubbly state.

Once the slate haired boy exited the room into the kitchen, the dirty haired blond turned to the red head. "Oh yeah, Axel. How d'ya get that limp huh?" he smirked as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down. "I saw it yesterday, but I thought it was just a sprained ankle, or _is_ it?"

It took a while for the red head to understand, "It's not like that you idiot." He rolled his eyes and turned away to re-shuffle the cards.

"Oh really now?" he didn't sound too convinced.

Axel turned to the blond in the midst of shuffling the cards together, "Tell him Roxas."

"Tell him what?" he stared at the red head with confusion on his face.

"What we did yesterday."

"Oh! We had fun yesterday!" he grinned at the other blond whose eyes almost bulged out of their sockets in shock. "I never thought that Axel would get so use to it in such a short time. I mean, even for my first time, it was such a painful experience."

The cards went flying all over the table and Axel smacked his forehead while Demyx threw his head back and laughed like a complete maniac.

"Ok Roxas, that's enough." The red head sighed as he re-gathered all the scattered cards.

"What? What did I say?" the said person asked the red head confusedly as he watched the dirty haired blond now bowled over on the floor laughing his head off.

Zexion came back saying that he already placed in the order for three pizzas and wondered what he had missed.

When it came fifteen minutes later, they spent the rest of the night eating it with plates, knives and forks and playing snap.

* * *

"What movie do you feel like watching?" the red head asked as he looked up at the movie listings. "Comedy? Action? Romance? Adventure? Fiction?"

"A mix of action and comedy?" the blond shrugged as he looked up at the names, nothing in particular caught his attention.

"What about Ructions? It sounds hilarious." He smirked as he rested all his weight onto one foot.

The blond rolled his eyes and shrugged, "Sure ok."

"Cool," he strolled up to the counter and pulled out his wallet. "Hello, two student tickets to Ructions please." He spoke to the boy with short black hair and sharp golden eyes.

"ID please?" the boy spoke with an air of boredom as he pushed in a few buttons into the computer. The red head flashed his ID card and so did the blond.

"Oh can we also have some of that marshmallow popcorn and two frozen cokes please." He pointed to the advertising board close by.

"What size tub for the popcorn?"

"Large popcorn tub please."

"That'll be $32 please." The boy pushed in a few more buttons into the computer and reached out for the two twenty dollar notes given by the red head. He handed him the change and the tickets before walking off to get the popcorn. He came back shortly with the large tub and went away for the frozen coke.

"Hold this for me." The red head have the blond the popcorn to carry and picked up the frozen coke when the boy came back with them, "Enjoy your movie." The boy actually forced on a smile for that one.

"Thanks." He smiled and walked away towards the escalator. "Oh shit," he cursed when he got on the sliding stairs.

"What?"

"I stuffed the tickets into my wallet. I have no idea what cinema we're in." he looked around for a place to put the two drinks down. "Er…could you reach into my pocket and grab the wallet for me?"

"Yeah, sure." He shrugged as he held the bucket of popcorn in one hand and dug his hand into the red head's jacket and pulled out the black leather wallet. They stepped off the escalator and the red head watched to mild interest as the blond fumbled around with the popcorn and the item. "Ah…cinema 8 this time." He concluded as he took the tickets out and placed the wallet back into the red head's jacket.

"Cool." He walked up towards the ticketing girl with long flowing brunette hair and bright blue eyes.

"Hello, tickets please." She smiled as she reached out for the tickets that the blond offered. "Ok, cinema 8." She motioned to the room at the far end. "Enjoy your movie."

They thanked her simultaneously as they walked up to the door and walked in carefully. It wasn't as crowded as they thought it would be and they managed to find good center seats at the back of the room.

As soon as they sat down, the red head offered the blond the frozen coke and immediately dove into the popcorn.

"Mm, this is good stuff, too bad it's only for a limited time." He spoke as he reached for another handful.

A quarter of it was gone by the time the movie started.

Half way into the movie, the red head reached over for another handful and turned to see the blond in the middle of licking his fingers clean to get rid of the sweet stickiness.

Axel wished those lips were on him instead. He blinked when that thought occurred to him and he quickly withdrew his hand.

He sucked in a deep breath, looked away and squeezed his eyes shut. 'Force it down, force it down, force it do-'

"Axel?"

The said person snapped his eyes opened and turned back to the blond. He could see his lips glistening from the movie screen.

"Yeah I'm good." He managed a small smile, "Just a slight headache that's all." He lied expertly.

"Do you wanna leave?" he furrowed his eyebrows in worry.

"Nah, stop hogging all the popcorn." He smirked as he snatched away the popcorn tub and stuffed his mouth with it.

The next day, Axel had to go to work, which left Roxas the time to do his homework and finish up his speech. He'd have to bring that up with the red head when he sees him again tomorrow.

He had spent the whole of the day completing his holiday homework and had just finished his speech. After correcting his grammar, re-reading it over and over again and adding more bits into it, he deemed that it was good enough to get him a nice grade.

Now all that's left is to practice talking to himself and time his speech to make sure it's of the right length.

In the middle of his speech, his phone started ringing and it made him jump from the chair that he was sitting on. He stared at the item on the table and let out an awkward laugh.

He didn't have to look at the caller id to guess who it was. "Off from work?"

"Yeah, and I'm surprised you didn't come out to see me." He could hear his smirk in his voice.

"Say wha?" he leaned over his table and pulled at the blinds, looking out to see a black car and a certain red head leaning on it and looking up at him while smiling and waving. "Oh, gimme a sec." he left his speech on the table and proceeded out his room door.

"Yup, yup. See you in a bit." They hung up as Roxas climbed down the stairs and placed the phone into his pockets.

"Hey mum? I'll just be outside with a friend ok?" he called out as he slipped on his shoes.

"Alright dear." She called back from the kitchen. "Don't forget to put on a jacket!"

"I won't be long!" he shouted back as he opened the door and stepped out, shivering slightly, "Axel, do you have any idea what time it is?" Roxas asked once he closed to door.

"It's…" he stared at his wrist watch. "Only just past 11pm, why?" he grinned as the blond walked closer.

"I could've been asleep you know?" he folded his arms as he stared at the red head who had his hair up in a ponytail.

"But you're not." he widened his grin.

He changed the subject, "You look weird." The blond spoke as he scrutinized at Axel's choice of attire.

"Dude, I just got off from work. You don't expect me to drive all the way home, get changed and come see you, do you?" he raised an eyebrow as he asked.

"Again, I repeat, you look weird." He spoke with a smile as he prodded at the sleeve of the red head's white long sleeve business shirt. "You own an actual tie too." He almost laughed when he spotted the item done in a double Winsor knot.

"Hey," he half heartedly smacked the hand away, "I'm allowed to be professional at times."

"You're just missing the apron now." He added as he stepped to the side and looked at Axel's hair style from the side, he only barely managed to hold back a snicker.

"I've got it in the car, but I'm not taking it out and wearing it for you." He smirked and crossed his arms.

"Aww." He continued to smile despite his disappointment. "You know, you actually look pretty good with your hair up like that." He commented as he raised a hand and gripped his chin in thought, tilting his head to the side as he scrutinized it a bit more.

"Really?" he smiled as he raised his hand to touch his hair, feeling a small blush staining his cheeks. "I had to do it because of regulations, I needed to look neat and tidy."

This time, the blond really did laugh at him.

When the red head left for the night and when the blond was back in his own room, he only just then remembered that he forgot to remind Axel about his speech. He decided to leave it till tomorrow.

* * *

In celebration of their fourth week of friendship, Axel bought Roxas an acoustic guitar. At first, the blond protested and demanded that he take it back to the shop, but the red head said he had lost the receipt and they wouldn't take it back unless there was actual proof that he bought it at that particular shop.

"Security cameras." Roxas spoke as he stared at the wooden instrument he had in his hands.

"Say wha?" he stared at him with a look of idiocy.

"Security cameras. They would've recorded the activities going on in the shop. There's the proof you need to show that you bought it at the shop." He explained as he fingered the strings on the instrument.

"Do you_ want_ me to take it back?"

Roxas hesitated. He wanted to keep it, but at the same time he just couldn't accept a gift like this. So far, he had contributed absolutely nothing during their time of friendship.

"Yeah," he handed it back to the red head, "Take it back." He tore his eyes away from the instrument.

"Gimme a good reason why." He placed his hands on his hips as he stared at the blond.

"I don't deserve it."

"Why don't you deserve it?" he smirked as he regarded the blond.

"Because I've done nothing to deserve it, now take it or else I'll drop it." he threatened as he shoved the instrument towards the red head.

"You don't have the heart to do something like that. Besides, _I_ think you've done plenty to deserve it."

"Like?" he quirked up an eyebrow, not entirely convinced.

He started counting with his fingers, "You hang out with me. You put up with me. You help me with school. I can think of some more if you want."

"How do those three things merit me a guitar?" he was still holding up the guitar to the red head.

He sighed as he reached out for the guitar and gently pushed it towards the blond, "You may not think that it's a big deal, but to me, it is. So just take it ok?" There was a pleading look behind his eyes and Roxas slowly looked back down at the guitar.

"…Thank you." He said finally.

Axel grinned happily, "No problemo."

"Oh yeah…have you finished your speech yet? I know you didn't get it done in the library."

His grin disappeared, "Uhh…"

"I'll take that as a no." Roxas laughed, "Do you need any help with it?"

"Er…No, I'm doing pretty good with it actually."

"It's due on Monday." He pointed out with a quirk of an eyebrow.

"Yes, I know, I'll get it finished tonight, I promise."

"You better." He smirked and finally noticed that Axel had his hair tied up like it was last night. But he didn't think too much about it as they went off to the super market to buy sea salt ice cream so they could watch their fourth sunset together.

During the short trip to the super marker, the red head suddenly swore as he grabbed the side of his stomach.

"Shit, shit, fuck." He winced in pain and ignored the looks of absolute shock coming from both blond and shoppers.

"What's wrong?" Roxas tried to calm the red head down.

"Somebody just did a voodoo on me." He answered as he leaned on the shelves for support.

"A what?" he asked incredulously.

"A voodoo, you know, those dolls?" he continued to wince out in pain as he leaned on the shelves for support.

"Yes, I know those dolls, what's that got to do with that dance you were doing just now?"

"I bet somebody really hates me, because they probably just poked a fucking needle into my sides."

"Oh, ok." He held back a snicker. "So, you're telling me that somebody out there in the real world has an Axel doll and just decided to poke you with a needle."

"Yes! That's what I'm trying to get!" he pushed himself off the shelves, having felt that the pain was now gone. "Anyways, I'm all good now." He started walking towards the frozen food section.

"How often does this happen?" he asked curiously with a smirk on his face.

"Eh…not very often, I don't even remember the last time this happened." He reasoned as he scratched his cheek.

"Right," he rolled his eyes, "Are you sure it's not because you're unhealthy?"

"Dude, how can I be unhealthy." He asked with a quirk of an eyebrow as he stopped in front of the dessert section and pulled open the freezer door, allowing a small rush of cool air to breeze past.

"You're not fat, but you're skinny. Being too skinny can be unhealthy too, you know." He pointed out as he watched the red head pick out a box of sea salt ice cream.

"So what are you saying? I'm anorexic?" he looked offended.

"That might be a possibility." He offered with a shrug.

"Ok, you're not getting ice cream, since I'm _so_ skinny, it's only fair if I eat the whole lot right?" he smirked as the blond gave him a look of uproar.

"That's so…evil." He couldn't find a better word. "I didn't say anything like that! Eating nothing but ice cream can be unhealthy too!" he followed the red head towards the entrance and exit of the store.

The red head merely laughed as he approached the counter to pay for the one item.

Once they were out of the super market, the blond was still pouting. Axel opened up the box and handed him an ice cream, "In commemoration of our one month of friendship."

His pout turned into a smile as he took the offered ice cream, "And it just gets cheesier and cheesier."

* * *

Before the red head dropped Roxas back at home, they went to his apartment to get something first.

"Stay in the car, I'll be right back." Axel spoke as he hopped out of the car and ran off, leaving the engine still running.

The blond was left with his mouth half open but after a few seconds, he snapped it shut, his teeth clicking together once. He let out a sigh as he looked at the back seat where his guitar rested. He couldn't help but smile.

The red head came back shortly after, panting slightly while holding onto a handful of papers.

"Er…are you ok?" the blond quirked up an eyebrow as he watched the red head try to regain his composure.

"Yeah, here…for you." He handed the blond the papers who took it and noticed that it was a sort of music script. "Guitar tabs, you know…" he swallowed thickly, "So you can practice whenever I'm not around to help." He grinned as he finally caught his breath.

"Easy way out for you then?" Roxas smirked as he looked down at the fingering patterns on the papers.

"Nah, don't think about it like that." He chuckled as he grabbed the hand brake and released it.

"Yeah, yeah, I was just joking." He flipped through the pages, there were even some guitar tabs for music from recent hits. "Did you make these?" he asked as he turned to the red head.

"Yup, I figured you know," he shrugged as he shifted gears and drove back to the blonds' house, "Since we can't always go to the music room, I'll make you a few tabs to play at home or something." He reasoned.

"How long did it take you?"

"Not too long." He smirked, "I _am_ an expert after-all."

The blond snorted at him.

After he was dropped off, Roxas spent the whole night playing on the guitar, and even when it was time for bed, his fingers couldn't stop itching for the instrument. Eventually, he gave in to his urge and he played softly while looking at the fingerings that the red head had drawn out for him.

He only started feeling tired at 3am, but he figured that two hours of sleep was hardly enough and he might as well just stay up for the rest of the time till Axel comes to pick him up again.

When the red head _did_ pick him up, the blond was tired, but his happiness made up for it. He made it through watching the sun rise with the red head and through breakfast without accidentally dunking his head into whatever he was eating, which happened to be the big breakfast combo. Although he _did_ sort of fall asleep during the middle of service.

Axel was tempted to draw on his face as 'punishment' but he decided that probably wouldn't look too good on his part. He gently shook the blond awake.

"I'm awake." He slurred out quietly.

The red head held back a laugh, "Maybe I should take you home after, you look dead-tired." He whispered his offer.

"But-"

"Don't worry, it's fine." He smiled at the blond, "But could you at _least _stay awake for the rest of service?" he added with a smirk.

Now that definitely woke Roxas up. "Ha, ha." He rolled his eyes as he focused on Geoff and tried his best not to fall asleep again.

The red head couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he watched the blond yawn once, then twice. He saw that the blond occasionally pinched himself to stay awake.

When the service was over, he allowed Sora to take Roxas back home. When the blond got in the car, he gave the red head a sleepy wave as his father drove off.

Once the car was gone and out of sight, Axel sighed and took out his phone. It had been vibrating for the past ten or so minutes. He had always left it on silent whenever he was at church.

He frowned when he saw that work was calling for him.

"At least it pays." He concluded as he walked up to his car.

* * *

Back to their first day of school, which everybody voiced by groaning out their displeasure...Roxas had spent the first two periods, plus interval and third period going through his speech in his head. He had every word and every action memorized into his head, but he still couldn't help but feel as though he was still unprepared.

When it came time for English period, he had sincerely hoped that maybe, _just_ maybe, he'll get lucky enough to do his speech tomorrow instead.

Ms. Gainsborough decided that there was enough time to have one last person go through his or her speech. And as she reached into a small box filled with the student's names that haven't done their speech yet, he wished that it wouldn't be him. But it didn't turn out that way when she read out his name.

Maybe if he wasn't Christian, he might've cursed or said a pretty bad word. But he chose to keep his cool as he stood up from his seat.

"Good luck!" Axel whispered as he gave the blond the thumbs' up.

He let out a shaky sigh as he walked up to the front of the room. It took him five seconds to force himself to turn to the class. He didn't really like the fact that every pair of eyes were on him.

'I've been through this already...' He didn't mind so much the guys at the back or his brother. But he felt oddly uncomfortable when his other friends stared at him.

Roxas took a deep breath and closed his eyes. And for a moment, everybody stared at him with interest and wondered if he was getting the odd case of stage fright.

Then, he started talking.

"I can't see it," he paused and everybody started to listen intently, especially Axel. "But I can hear it." The blond brought a hand up to his ear.

"I can hear it loud and clear." He lowered his hand back to his side. "I can hear the earth rumbling beneath my feet." And he bowed his head low, but his eyes remained closed.

"I can hear the clashing of weapons," he turned his head to the side slightly, "As though a fight is happening right before my very eyes." He outstretched his hand to the vacant space in front of him.

"I can hear the footsteps of people running," he turned his head to the other direction and tilted it slightly, "I can hear the crashing and the impact of their descent."

"The rise and fall," his arm moved up and down.

Then suddenly, he turned his head away again, a few girls in the class gasped, "What's that?" Their teacher looked pleasantly surprised.

Everybody looked around in confusion, wondering if this was still part of his speech or not. "I can't explain it." Another pause and he furrowed his eyebrows.

"But it sounds like the music of a melancholic wind chime." He brought his hand up to his ear again.

"A ringing in your ears, brilliant, yet frightening." His features soften to look of tranquility as he lowered his hand back to his side.

He quickly turned his head away again, "Something's wrong," and furrowed his eyebrows. "It sounds as though, something is breaking." He raised his other hand just in front of him and bowed his head low, as if to look at it even though his eyes were still closed, "Under an immense amount of pressure," he closed it to form a fist.

He paused again.

"Then suddenly, I hear nothing but silence." He turned his head from side to side, in an attempt to regain his sense of hearing.

"An eerie silence that reverberates through your very being," he brought his hand up to his chest. "That echoes into your soul."

"I can't see it..." he lowered his hand back to his side and bowed his head low, "And now, I can no longer hear it…" after a short moment of silence, he opened his eyes to signify the end of his speech.

Everybody clapped as Roxas blushed and went back up to his seat.

The red head couldn't tear his eyes away from the blond as he took his seat next to Axel. 'Wow...' he felt breathless just thinking about it, 'Roxas is...'

"Simply amazing..." he muttered out as he continued to stare at the blond.

The bell decided to ring at that particular moment but it goes unheard by the red head., until Roxas spoke to him.

"The bell rang."

"Huh?"

"The bell just rang, are you gonna sit here or what?" he quirked up an eyebrow as he swung the strap of his messenger bag over his head.

"Err, oh, right. The bell, right." He let out an awkward laugh, ignoring the snicker coming from the dirty haired blond boy who just left with the eye-patch dude and the slate haired other.

Roxas rolled his eyes as he followed the other people out, leaving Axel behind for him to catch up later.

The next day, the red head was one of the first people to go up for their speech, it wasn't bad, but it was…unexpected. Especially coming from the red head.

In the end, his speech lasted for 2 minutes and 26 seconds.

Axel grinned in triumph as he sat back down. He leaned back on the chair so that it balanced on two legs, and then propped his feet up on the desk.

"That was…unexpected." Roxas admitted as he quirked up an eyebrow at the red head.

"Quantity over quality." He widened his grin as he placed both of his hands behind his head. "Don't feel bad that I did better than you."

The blond snorted and threw the red head a light shove, which unfortunately was enough to make him fall over backwards, resulting in a loud yell and crash.

Everybody turned to stare at the red head who stood back up within a second, brushing the imaginary dust off.

Roxas looked as though he was stuck in between being shocked, apologetic and about to laugh his head off. He quickly covered his mouth as he held back a laugh. "Sorry." He offered lamely.

"Yeah, you better be." He scowled half heartedly as he bent over to pick up the chair and sat back down properly.

Ms. Gainsborough finally turned back to the front, "I'm sorry Linda. Would you like to start over again?" she restarted the stop watch.

* * *

Roxas was now back at home, trying to complete the 5 page homework that Vexen had assigned for them to do.

He just had one more page to do when his phone started ringing. There was no second guessing who it was. "Yes?"

"Yo Roxas, are you free?"

"I'm just doing some homework now, why?" he asked as he rested the phone between his ear and shoulder and went back to scribbling down his answers.

"I wanna take you somewhere special."

"What for?" he asked questioningly and stopped writing down possible answers.

"Come on," he heard the red head scoff, "If somebody wants to take you somewhere nice, you don't ask why, just go for it." he could hear the smile in his voice.

"Well," the blond picked the phone back up and relaxed into his chair, twirling the pen he was writing with in his hand. "You're asking me to leave my warm house, and ditch my homework to go somewhere nice." He smirked, "I can't help but ask why."

"Ok, ok. I promise it'll be worth it. And you'll be home by curfew too!"

"Hm…" he still didn't sound too eager to leave. "Homework is still top priority for me right now." He reasoned as he stared back at the open pages of his science book.

"But tonight is really special, pretty please?" he begged.

"We're not going to another restaurant, are we?" he quirked up an eyebrow as he sat forward on his seat.

"No, no. Nothing like that."

"Then what?"

"Grab a jacket and I'll meet you outside in five. I'm just around the corner." He sounded mischievous.

"What are you planning?" he asked warily.

The red head chuckled, "See you in five." He insisted then hung up.

Roxas threw up his hands in slight frustration as he got up from his seat, dropped his pen on the table, stuffed his mobile and other personal belongings into his pockets before walking over to the cupboard for a jacket.

By the time he got downstairs and told his parents, plus Sora, that he'll be out for a while but be home before curfew, he could already hear Axel's car come down his street.

"Be safe Roxas." She smiled as she waved with one hand and tucked a bit of her brunette hair behind her ear.

"I will mum." He waved back as he ran up to the front door and pulled his shoes on.

"Where's he taking you?" Sora asked with a giddy smile on his face.

"I have no idea, he said it's somewhere special." He shrugged as he pulled on his black and white zip-up jacket.

"Ok, have fun." He waved at his blond counterpart as he held the door open for him.

"Thanks, I'll see you later." He waved back as he ran up the walkway.

"Hey Roxas?"

The said person stopped in his tracks and turned back to his brother, "Yeah?"

Sora shook his head and smiled, "Never mind. I'll see you later." He waved again.

"You sure?" he asked again to make sure.

"Yup, yup." He nodded his head enthusiastically, "Say hi to Axel for me." He waved at the red head as well.

"Ok." He gave the brunet a thumbs' up then jogged up to the car. "Hey, Sora says hi." He jerked a thumb in the brunet's general direction.

"Hey!" the red head smiled as he shouted from inside the car.

Sora merely waved back as he watched his brother hop in, wave to him one last time before disappearing down the street to who knows where. He waited until the last sound of the red head's car was gone before he sighed and slowly closed the front door.

* * *

"Axel, you _know_ it's night time right?" the blond inquired once they stopped at the usual spot they would normally go to for the sun set.

"Yes indeed I know." He grinned as he got out of the car.

He stared incredulously as Axel moved to the front of the car and secured himself a spot on the hood. The red head turned his head back and motioned for the blond to join him.

Roxas let out a small sigh as he opened the door and got out of the car. After he closed the door and sat by the red head on the hood, Axel motioned him to look up.

"Lookie there." He pointed to the bright white circle in the dark night sky.

"It's a full moon, so what?"

The red head merely chuckled as he pushed up his jacket sleeve to look at his wrist watch. "It's almost time for it to start."

"For what to start? Fireworks?" he suggested as he stared all over the starry night sky.

"You really don't know what's going on?" he asked with a smile as he pulled the sleeve back down.

"No, what's going on?" he huffed as he turned to the red head.

"Ah well, you'll see soon enough." He shrugged and looked back up at the moon, "To be honest, it started about ten minutes ago, but ten minutes isn't much compared to two hours."

"Two hours? Of what?"

"Just sit back, relax and watch." He grinned as he leaned back on his hands that rested on top of the black hood of his car.

"Axel, don't tell me you dragged me all the way out here just to watch the full moon." He tried not to sigh out his frustration.

"Not just _any_ full moon, it's a _lunar_ eclipse." He spoke excitedly as he turned to grin at the blond.

"Great, yeah, lunar eclipse, mmhmm." He nodded his head and turned away.

"You'll see soon enough. It's really a sight to behold." Roxas' lack of interest did nothing to phase the red head's enthusiasm.

He let out a barely noticeable sigh as he looked up at the full moon which didn't seem so full anymore.

It wasn't until almost half an hour of waiting that he could see that the moon was slowly disappearing into the night sky. And it wasn't until another half an hour after that, that he began to notice the slight tinge of red from the eclipsed part of the moon.

"Wow…it's turning red." He commented to the red head distractedly.

"Yup, and do you know why?" he smirked as he tilted his head slightly.

"I think I do." He gripped his chin in thought as he tried to find the right reasons, "It's because of the dust in the earth's atmosphere that's being reflected to the moon from the earth that makes the moon take on a reddish glow." He explained as he rested his hand back to his side.

"Wow…And here I've always thought it was because the moon turned evil." He grinned while the blond merely scoffed at him for his pathetic excuse as to why the moon turns red.

It wasn't until the moon was almost covered that Axel noticed the blond shivering slightly.

"Are you cold?" he almost smacked his forehead. 'Of course he's cold! Otherwise he wouldn't be shivering!' he rolled his eyes at his idiocy.

"I'm ok." He insisted as he continued to watch the red moon. "I bet Sai'x is watching this too."

"I'm sure he is, he's the one that told me after all." He grinned as he hopped off the hood of his car and walked to the door.

Roxas thought that they were about to leave and nearly hopped off as well until the red head pulled the slot for the seat to come forward and fumbled around the back for something.

He came back out with a blanket. The blond couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at him.

"You brought…a blanket with you." He pointed at the item in the red head's hands.

"Yes indeed I did." He smiled as he closed the door and sat back on the hood, unfolded the blanket and wrapped it around the two of them. "Now we're both warm." He grinned.

Roxas blushed a little and smiled. He didn't feel so cold anymore.

They watched their first lunar eclipse on a Tuesday Night and shared a blanket under the starry sky.

* * *

Roxas and Sora came home after school on Thursday and as soon as they entered the house, they stopped laughing at whatever they had been talking about just now and they noticed that something was wrong. The atmosphere was different.

It wasn't because their mother and father were sitting at the dining table together. It wasn't that. It was wrong because, their mother didn't have a smile on her face and their father looked more tired than usual.

"Mum? Dad?" Roxas started, worry evident in his voice.

Their mother looked up and smiled at them, but it wasn't her usual bright, happy smile. She looked tired as well.

They were fine this morning…

"Sora, Roxas. Your father and I have something to tell you."

Something akin to dread started to fill his entire being. The blond swallowed as he nodded and dropped his bag on the floor before walking over towards the dining table to take his usual seat. Sora did the same.

"What is it mum?" Sora asked as he stared between their father and mother.

Their father sighed as he rubbed his temples, "We're getting a divorce."

The two boys bolted up from their seat, the same question pouring out from their mouths, "What!? Why!?"

"You see…" their mother started but didn't have the heart to continue.

"I'm too busy to have a family, I hardly communicate with any of you and it's unfair." Their father reasoned.

"So what, you're gonna leave us because of that?" Roxas furrowed his eyebrows in anger as he stared at his father. "It's been like this for fifteen years, but you only decided this now?"

"Roxas." She urged him to calm down.

"We'll be seeing a lawyer this weekend. Your mother will take care of you and I'll send in the money whenever you need it."

"But dad, you can't-" Sora pleaded.

"I'm sorry, it's better this way."

"But what about us?!" the blond screamed out suddenly.

"It's better this way." He reasoned again.

"When did you guys decide this?" the brunet asked as he stared at the table, too ashamed to look at his father.

"When you were both in camp." Their mother spoke softly, she sounded tired too.

'Liar…' Roxas sneered in his head as he forced himself to look away from their father.

The brunet gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in anger, "It's not fair!" Sora yelled out then ran out of the house, Roxas stood there for a few more seconds before back tracking to where his bag was, picking it back up and stalking to his room.

He didn't come out for dinner.

Sora locked himself in his room as soon as he got back. He didn't come out for dinner either.

* * *

The next morning, the both of them decided to leave the house extra early so they could take the bus rather than have their father drop them off at school.

They had skipped breakfast as well and didn't take their lunch with them.

They were silent as the walked from the bus stop to school, distracted by the events that happened the day before. Before the each walked their separate ways to their lockers, Sora asked,

"Can I sit with you at lunch today?"

The blond nodded, "Of course." He tried to smile but he found that he couldn't.

"And during break?"

"Of course."

"And English period too?" he tried his best to speak with a straight voice, but it came out like a quiet whisper.

"Of course." This time, he managed a smile, albeit a sad one.

"Thank you."

"I'll see you later." He gave his brother a hug before leaving.

When he reached his locker, he noticed the red head grinning and holding up his cup of coffee. He offered a half hearted greeting as he opened up his locker and took out his gym bag for first period and the books he needed for second period before putting in the other books he took home yesterday.

The red head's grin slowly disappeared as he took in the haggard state that the blond was in. He decided to brush it off as a lazy morning, but as the school day began, he realized that it was probably something else.

When he asked, the blond merely offered a small smile, "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired, that's all."

When interval came, Roxas told him that he'll be hanging around Sora today. At first, Axel complained and whined. He had expected the blond to give him a good thwack on the head, but nothing came.

"Just for today." The blond tried again, a silent plea in his voice.

The red head stared at Roxas and slowly nodded, "Yeah sure. But I'll expect to see you for lunch." He grinned and nudged the blond.

"I'll be hanging around Sora for lunch time as well."

"What?!" he cried out, "But Roxy…" he whined some more.

"Just for today." Again, the silent plea was evident in the blonds' voice.

Whatever was eating away at the blond, Axel figured that it must be pretty serious, so he decided, just for today, he'll let him go. "Yeah, ok. Sure."

The blond smiled before walking away to find his brother.

He had to admit though, during the whole of interval, he felt oddly lost. He got to see him again during science, but the blond didn't seem as though he was concentrating at all. Axel decided, just for today, that he'll pick up the slack coming from Roxas.

He felt twice as lost during lunch break than he did during interval. Demyx and the rest inquired as to what the red head did to scare the blond away,

"I didn't do anything!!" he cried out as he massaged his scalp due to Larxene actually punching his head in. "He said he wanted to hang out with Sora today! So I let him!"

"Fine! But if he's not here to hang around with us on Monday, you'll be in for it." she warned as she went back to the regular spot under the tree.

He let out a long sigh as he looked up and spotted the sun through the thick leafy foliage of the tree.

When lunch time was over, he was surprised to see that Roxas was already in the class for last period. And even more surprised to see that Roxas wasn't sitting at the back where he would usually sit, but by his brother.

The blond immediately got up when he saw the red head, and opened his mouth, possibly to ask if he could sit by his brother instead.

Axel placed a hand on the blonds' shoulder before a word got out and smiled, "Just for today."

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows in a mixture of worry and guilt before looking down and muttering out a quiet, "Thank you."

The red head grinned, "No worries." He spoke as he joined the group already sitting at the back. He didn't supply them any answers when they asked what was wrong. Only because, he didn't know himself.

The next day, which was a Saturday, which was supposed to be their friendship day, Roxas didn't want to go anywhere.

"But this is our fifth week anniversary. You seriously don't wanna do anything at all?" Axel asked as he switched his phone from one hand to another. He was just about to leave the apartment to pick up the blond.

"I'm sorry Axel, but I'm just…too tired to do anything." He offered with an exhausted voice.

'It didn't stop you before…' the red head thought to himself, "Roxas, what's wrong?" he finally asked.

"It's…" there was a short pause, "Nothing, you know. I'm just feeling tired. Maybe I'm getting sick." He heard the blond force out a laugh.

Axel frowned but decided to play along with his lies. "Ah yeah, the cold weather is just around the corner. Don't forget to drink lots of water and get lots of sleep ok?"

"Thanks, Axel."

"No worries." He smiled, "Get some rest ok?"

"Ok, see you on Monday."

"Monday?" he asked, his voice filled with puzzle.

"Yeah…we've got…a relative coming tomorrow, so we're not going to church."

"Oh, ok. Sure." He nodded and vaguely wondered when did Roxas start lying so much? And get so good at it too.

"Sorry." The blond apologized.

"Nah, it's all good. I'll drop by your house later tonight, is that ok?"

"Um…" he hesitated, and the red head knew immediately that the answer was going to be no. "I don't think that'll be a good idea. We have to clean up the guest room and everything."

"Ah, ok." He laughed, "Have fun."

"Yeah…Thanks for understanding."

"That's what friends are for right?" he smiled, ignoring the slight twang of hurt coming from his heart. They eventually hung up and Axel let out a long sigh and dialed in another number.

Guess he'll have to turn up for work after all.

* * *

It was Sunday morning and the house was quiet. Their mother and father had left to go see their lawyer, leaving behind a brooding Roxas and Sora.

There was a soft knock at the blonds' door and he stared at it for a moment. "Sora?"

"Can I come in?" he heard his brother's voice from the other side of the door.

"Of course." He got up and opened the door for him and allowed him access into his room.

When Sora stepped in, he closed the door behind him. It took the brunet a while before he decided to sit on his bed. "I need to talk to you."

"Is it about-"

He cut Roxas off, "It's not about mum and dad."

"Ok, what is it?" he sat by his brother on his bed, watching and listening intently.

"I…I wanted to tell you this before, but I couldn't."

He nodded and remembered the times when Sora tried to talk to him but always changed the subject or told him it wasn't important, "Why now?"

"Because things are different now."

Roxas knew exactly what he meant, "Ok then, tell me." He encouraged the brunet as he placed a hand on his brother's back.

"Roxas…I um…" there was a slight pause, "I think I'm…" and then hesitation before a quiet whisper, "…gay…"

At first, the blond thought he was hearing things, but as the words repeated in his head over and over again like a broken record, he knew it wasn't his ears playing tricks on him. "What?" he asked incredulously.

Sora immediately dove into an explanation, "I found out a couple of months ago, I mean, I thought I was just going through a phase, I mean, and since you hang out with Demyx and the others, I thought that it was ok but it got me thinking, like a whole lot and now I think that I really _am_…gay…" he hesitated saying that word again.

Roxas paused, still trying to take in all this information, "Who for? Riku? I'll kill him…" he cursed the silver haired boy, slightly amazed that his brotherly instincts kicked in so quickly.

The room was quiet for a few minutes before the brunet decided it was safe enough to speak again, "Roxas…?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not angry, are you?" he asked quietly.

"No, I'm not." He sighed as he turned to his brother, 'He doesn't deny that it's Riku…'

"Good, I mean…Yeah because," he paused again, "I…I wouldn't know what to do if I lost you too. Especially since dad…" he slowly trailed off.

"Yeah, I know." He hugged his brother. "Brothers forever."

This was the part where they were suppose to laugh, at least, that's what Roxas had hoped to happen, but Sora let out a shaky sigh as he returned the hug.

* * *

And the drama begins…And, o.m.g, I'm so stupid. You know what I'm talking about mornir-brightflame. (Still burning with embarrassment) 


	57. Build up, just to fall down again

Ack, this is the last time I go with a story that doesn't have a plot. I know I said there was a plot somewhere but after I thought about it…that thing doesn't really count.

Not at all…

**Colonel Roxas-chan** – Don't we all? (Sniffles) And it's only just the beginning…My poor boys…  
**Malik's Bunny Mika** – Aww you're far too kind in that lovely review of yours. It really puts a big smile on my sad face. I'm glad you're still enjoying reading this stupid plot-less story. Lols.  
**Eternalxsky** – Lols, you won't have much to go I don't think…I'll probably end this sad excuse of a story soon…It's just…such a disappointment to me, even though I love it to bits. Lols.  
**Conductor of Darkness** – Lols, cookies for you!  
**Soraslilangel** – I'm sorry…What? Wait…shouldn't YOU be sorry? Lols. But seriously…What?  
**pride1289** – Ohh! Arizona! Trip? Have fun!! Buy lots of stuffs too.  
**Plain Jane Is A Vampire** – Thank you, I like brotherly moments that Roxas and Sora share as well as the ones that Axel and Reno have too. I think it's pretty easy to pronounce chocobo, it's just cho-co-bo. Easy as one-two-three! Lols.  
**Ranchdressing** – Double tee eff, no way! THAT SUCKS!! LIKE NO SHIT MAN! Greedy people…(Cries)  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Lols, _I'm_ not gonna kill Riku, let's see if Roxas thinks the same way as me.  
**WGreyB** – Thank you…(cries) I hope I won't disappoint you in the future…  
**mornir-brightflame** – Ah yes, who knows how much longer Axel can keep his hands away from dear, lovable Roxas…I think it's getting harder and harder for him.  
**hunted-snark** – Happy and…stupid at the same time. I should've planned this out more! I'm so stupid sometimes!  
**Shadoom** – Maybe it's a bit of both? Lols, who knows.  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Ah, you're far too modest, I'm sure you saw it a few (maybe ten or so) chapters ago. Lols.  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Lols, have you tried sitting on them? Always warms my fingers up. Lols!  
**Firelid** – Lols, yeah, I sincerely apologize about the random and somewhat plotless story, but it'll get there…eventually…  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Thank you, thank you. (Bows)  
**delayed-reaction** – Lols, yeah, everybody expected that from Sora. That silly boy. So obvious…Lols.  
**Honto.Kawaii.Neko-chan** – I'm so happy that you still enjoy reading it. I've somewhat lost hope for this story, but worry not. I'll still finish it somehow. Lols.  
**Launch shinra** – (Cries) Oh my poor, baby boys…They're gonna have so much trouble…

Sorry it took me an EXTRA day to update…it completely slipped my mind yesterday. Forgive me?

* * *

On Monday morning, just after the blond closed his locker, Roxas asked Axel if he could stay with his brother again. The red head was about to launch into an all out whining and complaining spree when he noticed the miniscule amount of bags under the blonds' blue eyes. They didn't seem as bright as they were on Friday, in fact, didn't this whole thing start on Friday morning?

Maybe something happened in the morning before he got to school. Or maybe something happened after school on Thursday.

He was curious to find out.

"Roxas, is there something going on?" the red head asked worriedly.

Almost immediately, the blonds' head snapped up, his eyes widened in a sort of mix feelings of shock, worry, anxiety and guilt. "No," he replied hastily then forced on a smile and spoke in a normal tone again, "No, nothing's going on."

The red head furrowed his eyebrows in worry, "You're lying to me." He didn't mean for that to suddenly come out of his mouth.

"It's…" he let out a shaky breath and looked away from the red head, "…kind of complicated."

"I'm a complicated person at heart." He grinned, hoping it would be enough to coax the blond into talking.

"…Please?" he tried again, still not looking at the red head.

Axel frowned, 'Please?'

Was it to make him stop asking? Or was it to let him stay with his brother?

He let out a quiet sigh and made his frown go away, replacing it with a grin of his own.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure." He ruffled the blonds' hair. "You know what? You really _do_ look kind of sick." He bent down slightly to stare at the blond who turned away in the last second. "Have you been getting enough sleep?"

'No…' Not only because there were far too many things plaguing his mind, but also, his brother shared a bed with him last night. And Sora tends to kick when he's sleeping. "I think I have." He forced on another smile, except this time, it looked more natural.

Roxas was getting good at pretending too. Axel tried not to show his discomfort.

"Ok, ok. When you get back home, go straight to bed alright?" he started to lead the blond towards their first two classes together. "But for now, I get to have you for the first two periods." He grinned happily as they walked down the corridor.

"And last period…" he spoke softly.

Was it because he felt guilty that he was ditching Axel for his brother and was merely suggesting? Or was it to make Axel feel better that he gets to hang around Roxas for one more period?

"Yes, and last period. Awesome." He let out a soft chuckle as he led the blond into first period class, which was Stats with Luxord.

* * *

On Monday interval and lunch time, Larxene kicked him on the shins and pounded him on the head.

* * *

The same thing happened for Tuesday morning where Roxas asked again to stay with his brother. Axel tried to subtly coax the blond into talking, but he didn't manage to get any information from the blond.

He feared for his life when break came, and even more when it was lunch time. He already had a bruise on his shin. He wasn't sure about his head, but he was pretty damn sure he was losing brain cells to that 'crazy bitch'.

The same thing happened on Wednesday morning as well. Axel reluctantly agreed to let Roxas go but he quickly changed his mind when he thought about Larxene. Of course, Roxas was already walking into his computing class for first period. He decided he'd try to talk to the blond after second period. And he was just about to confront the blond after English but their teacher, Ms. Gainsborough got to them first.

"Sora, Roxas, may I speak with you?" she spoke softly and gently.

Something akin to panic filled the blonds' entire being, but he nodded and walked up to her desk, Sora followed.

Aerith waited until every other person was out of the class and the door was closed before she spoke.

Axel waited outside and focused all his hearing ability into the conversation while trying not to seem suspicious. All he could hear were muffled noises.

"I've noticed that the both of you haven't been very attentive during class, is there something wrong?"

Sora's fingers twitched and he had to hold onto his brother's hand to stop his from shaking.

She couldn't see from the chair that she was sitting in.

"No, we're fine." Roxas spoke for the both of them and squeezed his brother's hand in reassurance.

She didn't seem convinced but she smiled regardless, "If you insist. But if there's anything wrong, feel free to find me, ok?" she offered, her voice filled with compassion.

"Yes Ms. Gainsborough." He nodded and walked out of the class, Sora released his hand before they reached the door.

Axel was already gone and down the hallway. The two brothers never knew he was even listening. Not that he got much information out of it anyway.

Looks like Axel will have to put up with Larxene's abuse again.

After they dropped their stuffs off at their lockers and picked up the other things they needed for the next two periods, they slowly walked off to the quiet secluded place they've been hanging around at for the past few days.

They sat together in relative silence, sometimes Sora would say something or ask something and Roxas would try his best to answer or merely grunt in return.

They could hear the distant chattering from the other students but rarely did anybody come by their way.

They were slightly surprised, however, when Hayner stood in front of them, silent yet brooding.

Roxas glanced up to see him frowning and immediately looked away again.

For a moment, Sora was torn between walking away and letting his brother talk to his friend and staying behind for support.

After a mental debate, he chose to leave them alone, still in the area but out of ear shot.

Roxas sighed, he knew that Sora only wanted to help, but he wasn't ready to confront another problem just yet, "Not now Hayner." He voiced out tiredly.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "Tell you what?"

"That you were going through a rough patch."

He widened his eyes in shock, 'How did he…?' As far as he knew, only Riku and Kairi know about their situation.

"Why should I?" he replied in a half hearted sneer.

"Because I'm your friend."

The blond scoffed, "Yeah, my friend. Sure…" he felt guilt flow through his body and refused to look up at the dirty haired blond.

"Look, Roxas," Hayner took the seat next to the said person who seemed suddenly uncomfortable. "I know I haven't been the greatest, but you know how much of a hot head I can be."

The blond remained silent, glancing to where his brother was.

"But what I'm trying to say is, there's a time for action and a time for words."

The blond furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "…What you say doesn't fit with the current situation…"

"It doesn't? Oh damn." He laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

The blond smiled a little before making it fade away again, "Look, Hayner, I can't do this."

"Do what?" he asked confusedly.

"Act normal around you after that," he couldn't find the right words in his head, "_That_!" he blushed a little.

"I'm here for you as a friend. Nothing more, nothing less. We can talk more about it next time when you're up for it ok?"

"And that makes me feel so much better." He spoke sarcastically and with a roll of his eyes.

Eventually, they both laughed.

Sora came back and smiled. Feeling better that something in his brother's life is finally going ok.

* * *

The next day, Axel tried not to look hurt when he saw that Roxas was sitting with Sora and his other friends again. But he felt better when he saw that the blond was finally smiling and laughing again.

He felt jealous that he wasn't the one to get him to smile and laugh though.

Upon sitting down on his seat at the back, the blond excused himself from his friends and jogged up to the red head.

"Good morning, Axel." He grinned as he took his regular seat by the red head.

"Good to see you're feeling better." He smiled as he took in the happier state the blond was in. He still looked tired, and the bags were still under his eyes, but at least he looked happier.

"Guess what." He asked with a smile on his face. His eyes seem to shine a little brighter.

"What, what?" he replied with equal enthusiasm.

"Me and Hayner made up yesterday."

Ok, he was not expecting that. "Really? That's cool." He pretended he was happy with the news when in fact, he was more awkward about it instead. He brushed the awkwardness aside, "So how did it happen huh?" he nudged the blond playfully.

"Ah, well…" he suddenly trailed off. His happiness shot down the drain.

His grin disappeared, "Err..."

"I have...something to tell you."

"What is it?" he felt something weird bubble in the pit of his stomach, he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not.

"The thing is…my parents…" he paused a while before continuing. "They're getting a divorce." He furrowed his eyebrows and looked away when he registered the look of shock coming from the red head, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, and all that lying, but I just figured, I mean, I was still pretty shocked by it all to be honest." He laughed nervously.

"It's ok, I mean, divorce is a pretty big thing to handle." He reasoned as he looked at the blond worriedly and placed a hand on Roxas' shoulder for comfort.

"Yeah," he finally smiled, a real smile which made the red head feel so much better, "Thanks for understanding."

"It's all good." He gave the blond a hearty pat to the back. "I think your friends are calling you." He pointed towards the group.

Roxas turned around and waved at them before turning back to Axel, "I'll be hanging around them for break. But we can hang out during lunch time right?"

"Of course!!" he cried out, "Larxene has been kicking me in the shins because she thought I scared you away!" he raised his leg up to the chair and pulled up the hems of his pants, "You see this?! It's a freaking bruise!!" he pointed at the purple splodge on his shin.

Roxas widened his eyes in shock but couldn't hide the laughter that came out from his mouth. "That looks nasty."

Axel scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Tell me about it." he pulled the leg of his pants back down and settled his foot back on the floor.

"Did you guys do anything on Tuesday lunch time?"

"We went to the music room, but meh," he shrugged and scratched his cheek. "Can't say anything much about it."

"I missed my guitar lesson, do you think we can have another today?" he looked hopeful.

The red head smiled, "Sure."

When class started, Roxas went back to sit with his friends. Axel tried not to seem as though he felt cheated out of something.

* * *

It was finally lunch time and the two of them made their way towards the music room. While turning a corner, the blond accidentally bumped into another person.

"Opps, sorry, you ok?" he finally realized who it was that he bumped into, "Hey, you're that art girl."

She laughed, "Yes, I'm Namine." She introduced herself.

"Oh, right," he smiled sheepishly, "I'm Roxas."

The two of them were smiling at each other but remained silent. The red head wanted to barf. "I'm Axel, got it memorized?" he finally introduced himself, his voice filled with a small hint of possessiveness.

"Hello Axel." She smiled sweetly and he smirked in return. "I'll see you around Roxas, Axel." She waved and walked away in the opposite direction that the two were going.

Once she was gone and out of ear-shot, the red head rolled his eyes, "I think I scared her away." He smirked triumphantly as he turned back to the blond who was already half way down the corridor. "Hey! Hold up!" he ran after Roxas.

They spent the whole of their lunch time in the music room, Roxas got the C chord and the A minor chord mixed up by accident.

"It's just off by a fingering," he scowled as he tried to readjust his fingers on the strings.

"Hey, at least you got E minor and G chord all good." He grinned as he strummed on the guitar expertly. "You'll get to my point in no time at all." His transition from one chord to another was flawless.

Roxas wondered when he'll get to that point as he watched the red head play on the guitar. Maybe in a few months or so.

When the bell rang for lunch time to finish, Axel walked the blond to his next class which was computing. They ended up seeing Namine again, much to the red head's chagrin.

"I've been seeing you around a lot lately." She smiled.

"Yeah," he nodded and laughed.

Axel raised an eyebrow, 'Lately? Isn't this like, the second meeting or something? Unless…Roxas has been seeing people behind my back…' he growled in his head as he watched the two exchange a conversation.

"Why haven't I seen you around until just recently?" Roxas asked curiously.

"Oh, I moved schools last term. My cousin Kairi comes to this school so I thought maybe I should come too." She reasoned as she tucked a bit of her blond hair behind her ear.

'Oh gag me…' Axel suppressed the urge to roll his eyes right there and then.

"Oh, you're Kairi's cousin, I've only heard about you and I've only seen you hang around her once though." He pointed out, ignoring the fact that he was five minutes late to class.

"We're both busy, she hangs around her friends and I volunteer for school activities."

'Go volunteer for something else and leave my Roxy alone.' The red head tried not to scowl.

"Oh wow, ok." He scratched the back of his head.

The red head looked from the girl back to the blond occasionally, 'This is so cheesy I think I might hate cheese forever.'

"So um…Do you wanna hang out sometime?" she glanced away as she tucked her hair behind her ear again. Ignoring the fact that the red head was _still_ there.

'Say no Roxas.' Axel begged silently.

"Sure. I sometimes hang out with Sora and Kairi and the others."

Axel almost smacked his forehead, he never knew the blond to be so naïve.

"I mean like…going to the movies." She trailed off a little and her cheeks were blushed a light pink.

'…?!' the red head was at a loss for words. If this was a cartoon, his mouth might've made impact with the floor already.

"Oh. Oh! Yeah, sure." He finally realized and smiled, a small blush tinting his cheeks as well.

"Great." She clapped her hands together, "Do you want to exchange phone numbers?"

'Fuck no!!' Axel cried out in his head.

"Sure, ok." He took out his phone and the two of them traded their phone numbers. Unaware of the internal turmoil that a certain red head was going through.

'NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!' Axel screamed dramatically in his head.

It was a while before they decided to go to class, the three of them were late by ten minutes.

Axel brooded during the whole of last period, Demyx noticed but he chose not to say anything.

If looks could kill, he might've been dead over half an hour ago.

Things were changing far too rapidly for the red head to handle.

He figured it was probably worse for Roxas.

* * *

Roxas was absolutely beaming when he strolled up to his locker after school. He didn't even care about the computing assignment that Vincent gave them during last period. All that mattered now was that his life was starting to go back to normal. Somewhat.

He's got his friends back, and he still gets to hang around Axel too. He was making new friends and he feels closer to his brother.

He closed his locker and hummed out a tune as he walked down the corridors to the front of the school where he knew Sora would be waiting for him.

Upon his arrival, the brunet immediately halted all conversations with the silver haired boy and ran up to meet him. "Roxas! You wouldn't believe who I met today!" he grabbed his brother's shoulders but didn't shake him just yet.

"Really?" he smiled, "You wouldn't believe who _I_ met today."

"Me first!" he took in a deep breath, "Kairi has a cousin!" he cried out excitedly.

"I know, Namine right?" this was the part where Sora decided it was time to start shaking his brother's shoulders back and forth.

"Yeah! I think she's really cute."

His smile faltered for a second and he reached up to stop Sora, then he leaned in to whisper, "What about Riku?"

"Oh…Um I guess that really _was_ just a phase I'm going through." He grinned sheepishly as he released his brother's shoulder and scratched the back of his head with one hand.

Roxas suddenly felt very sorry for the silver haired boy who was still out of ear shot to their conversation but was talking to Kairi who had just joined him instead.

"I was thinking of asking her out on Saturday, what do you think?" Sora asked as he scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed smile on face.

"Um…I'm taking her to watch a movie on Saturday."

"What?!" he suddenly cried out, "When? Do you even _like_ her?"

"Ah well, it just happened today. We just started talking and-"

"Forget it, I don't wanna hear it." he scowled and walked away, not even saying goodbye to his best friends, "I'm going home."

"W-wait Sora!" he went after his brother and tried to talk to him, but the brunet merely ignored him on the bus way back home.

* * *

Roxas sighed, and then a minute later, he sighed again.

They were in first period, which was physical education. Their teacher was away again, so Luxord took over and made them run around the field instead.

Axel had no idea what Roxas was sighing about so early in the morning. Maybe he's still hung up about that whole divorce thing with his parents, like how he's hung up about that date thing that the blond and that 'girl' are going to on Saturday.

It was suppose to be _their_ day god-dammit.

But he decided to let it go and play the 'good friend' card. "Yo Roxy, why are you sighing so much?"

The said person sighed again, "I had a fight with my brother."

"Is it serious?"

"I'm not sure," he shrugged, "I hope not…"

The red head sighed, "What did I tell you about not getting into a fight with your brother? It's not about that Namine girl is it?" he guessed.

"Ah well…" he looked away abashedly.

The red head suddenly wanted to bring a gun to school, or something very sharp.

"And you're _still_ going out with her on Saturday?" he asked incredulously.

"It's not even a real date!" he stopped running as he stared at the red head who stopped a few feet away. "I swear!" he reasoned while Axel merely scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

"It's not." He frowned as he continued jogging at his pace.

They spent the rest of their time in awkward silence. Roxas couldn't bear to see his brother angry at him, he couldn't bear hanging around Hayner because the dirty haired blond would sometimes be a little over-friendly. So he hung out around Axel instead. But even then, it was still awkward.

He wanted the weekend to come, he wanted to see Namine, so that he could tell her that there can be nothing going on between them. He'd choose his brother above anything and everything else.

They were supposed to be brothers forever.

It was Saturday and the red head made it his job to wake the blond up at 7 in the morning. Maybe just to spite him or something, although the blond wouldn't know that. He tried to hide his discomfort when it was time for Roxas to meet up with Namine in the city center.

"Do you need a ride?" the red head offered even though he didn't really feel like it.

"No, I can take a bus." He reasoned as he placed his wallet and house keys into his pockets of his pants.

"I don't mind, really I don't."

"It's fine. I need to talk to her, don't want you scaring her off." He laughed as he opened the door of his room and walked down the stairs.

"Hey, it's not my fault she doesn't appreciate my individuality." He joked although inwardly he was thinking, 'I'd bring a gun with me if it means that she'll keep away from you.'

"Ok, I'll see you, whenever." He finished as he pulled his shoes on.

"Yeah, see you." He tried not to sound depressed about it.

"Maybe we can meet up later to watch the sun set?"

"I'd like that." He smiled, feeling his slight depression go away.

"Cool." He smiled, said his goodbyes, then hung up.

The trip to the city took about fifteen minutes. They were supposed to meet at a certain place at 10 o'clock. He was still ten minutes early but she was already there waiting for him.

"Namine, you're early." He called out as he ran up to the petite blond girl. She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt, faded blue jeans and was holding onto a white hand bag.

"Good morning Roxas. You're early too." She giggled behind her hand.

"How long have you been waiting for?"

"Not long, I got here about five minutes ago. Somebody dropped me off."

"Oh ok. That's good."

"What movie do you want to watch today?"

"Oh um…about that…" he suddenly felt awkward about the whole situation "This isn't…a date right?" he asked embarrassedly and hastily added, "I mean, it's not that I don't like you or anything, I mean, it's more like…ah…um…" he fumbled with his words and the blonde laughed at him.

"You don't want this to be a date?" she smiled behind her hand.

"Um well…you see, my brother…he sorta likes you too, and um…we kind of got into a fight because of that." He reasoned then hastily added, "It's not because I don't like you or anything, but…you know. He's my brother." He finished lamely, unsure if the girl actually understood or not.

"I understand," she nodded.

"Really? That's great!" he smiled, he can tell his brother and their fight about her will finally be put behind them.

"We can hang out as friends instead."

"Great." He nodded and they started walking towards the cinema.

They were just about to head into the cinema when somebody called out her name, "Namine!"

Roxas froze, he knew that voice.

"You forgot your-Roxas?"

The said person swallowed thickly as he turned around to the speaker and widened his eyes in shock.

"You know Roxas?" the blonde girl turned to the older man and reached out for her jacket.

"He's…my son." He answered as she gasped and dropped her white jacket on the floor.

"Dad…?" he turned from his father back to Namine. "How do you guys know each other?" he asked confusedly. He knew the answer, but he prayed with all his heart and wished that he was wrong.

"He's seeing my-" she tried to explain.

"Namine." His father stopped her before she could say anymore.

Roxas took a step back. Things were going so wrong. Everything was going down the wrong way. "You gotta be joking me right?" he turned to his father and asked desperately. "You're joking, right?!"

"Roxas, I'm-"

"YOU SAID YOU WERE TOO BUSY!" he screamed out and ran away, ignoring the calls coming from both his father and Namine.

He ran home, never stopping once to take a break. Not even when his legs protested and his lungs burned. He kept on running until he finally crashed into the front door, digging his keys out and fumbling his hold on them as he tried to open the door. When he got in, he kicked his shoes off, not even caring that one of them landed on the carpet and ran up the stairs to his brother's room.

"Sora! SORA!!" he called out and tried to get in, the door was locked. "Sora! Open the door!!" he started banging on it.

"Go away!" he heard his brother call out from inside.

"Please! I'm sorry! Open the door! Please!" he continued to bang on the door, the desperation in his voice finally evident. "I need to talk to you." His legs finally gave out as he fell to his knees but he continued to hit the door. "Sora, open up, please." He begged as one hand reached out for the door knob and the other rested on the door.

He wasn't prepared for the sudden opening of the door that made him fall forward slight. The brunet opened the door with a scowl on his face, but he didn't expect to see Roxas on his knees in front of his room, his anger for him disappeared, replaced with worry.

"What happened?" he leaned down to his blond counterpart.

"I saw him." He grabbed Sora's shoulders.

"Who?"

"Dad." He looked up at his brother. He looked about ready to cry.

The brunet was confused and waited for the blond to elaborate.

"I told Namine that I don't wanna go out with her, we we're just gonna be friends instead. And then suddenly, dad comes out of no where." He laughed and this was when Sora got really worried. "Did you know?" he laughed harder, "He's seeing Namine's mum."

The brunet widened his eyes in shock, still registering the information that was just given to him. He didn't seem to like her so much anymore.

"You're joking." Sora finally managed out.

"I'm not, but I wish I was." he laughed again, but Sora knew that he was hurting inside and slowly hugged him.

Roxas' laughter faded away as he returned the hug. "We're falling apart, aren't we…?" he asked quietly, his tears flowing from his eyes, staining his brother's navy blue shirt.

"No we're not. We'll be better off without dad." His own words stung him as he cried with his brother. "Brothers forever, remember?"

"Yeah. We'll look after mum ourselves, we don't need dad..."

They stayed in Sora's room, Axel called to tell him he was coming over and Roxas had to cancel, he felt guilty but the red head said it was fine.

"Always a next time." Axel insisted in his cheerful voice.

"Thanks..."

"That's what friends are for Roxy." He laughed.

Eventually they hung up and when dinner was called out, they didn't leave the safety of the room. They slept on the same bed together, Roxas didn't mind the kicking. They didn't go to church in the morning, they didn't eat breakfast, and they skipped out on lunch.

They just stayed in the room, trying to piece everything together, trying to make everything right again, trying to figure out when it all started.

Roxas told him about what he heard in that room at that particular night. It must've started way before then, but they couldn't tell for sure. They were only guessing after all.

When Roxas finally _did_ come out of the room for something to eat, he promised he'll get something for Sora as well as he walked down the stairs into the living room.

He changed his mind about being hungry when he saw his dad. He immediately back tracked up the stairs. He didn't expect somebody to follow.

"Roxas?" it was their mother, "Aren't you hungry? The both of you haven't eaten yet. I can heat up something for-"

"I'm not hungry anymore." He lied as he opened the door to his room.

"You have to eat something Roxas." She urged as she followed her son.

His patience finally snapped, "I'm not hungry!" he shouted out and slammed the door.

She stood there shocked, it was the first time that he had ever yelled at her. She felt tears sting her blue eyes. She tried to cover her mouth as soft sobs escaped her lips.

Their family really _was_ falling apart.

The blond came back out seconds later and hugged his mother who cried. Sora came out after the commotion from his own room and hugged them as well.

'We don't need dad…' Roxas concluded as he tried not to cry.

* * *

Axel was starting to get use to Roxas' habits of hanging around Hayner, his brother and himself. The blond hung out with his brother and the dirty haired blond kid during break, and as soon at the red head entered their fourth period class which was English, Roxas would wave at the red head and return to talking to the others.

He didn't complain, although he would whine half heartedly when Roxas sometimes decided to spend lunch time with his brother and other friends. But he didn't mind when Roxas decided to sit with him during English period on another day.

Just as the two of them walked out of their class together, they bumped into Namine and immediately, Roxas ran off in the opposite direction.

She furrowed her delicate eyebrows in sadness as she watched the blond disappear down the hallway.

Axel sighed as he shook his head at Roxas, 'Stupid idiot.' He thought half heartedly as he turned back to the blonde.

"Look," he got the attention of Namine, "Try to understand the kid." He started, "His father is seeing _your_ mother. His parents are getting a divorce. It's not easy for him to handle."

Slowly, she nodded her head in understanding.

"He doesn't hate you, far from it." he explained, 'Too bad for me though.' He sighed in his head, "I think the both of you could be pretty good friends." He added, 'Much to my disappointment…' he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants and continued talking, "But right now, he needs some space because he's going through a lot of problems, ok?" he finished and watched the girl's lips turn into a smile.

"Ok, thank you. Axel." She smiled, "You're a really nice guy."

"Yeah, well…" he sighed as he scratched his cheek.

"Trying to hide the fact that you like him just so you could still be his friend."

"Say wha?!?" he blushed as he stared at the girl disbelievingly.

She giggled at the red head, "It's ok Axel. I won't tell." She smiled as she put a finger in front of her lips, "See you around." She waved and then walked away.

Even after the blonde was gone and out of sight, he was still in shock as he continued to stare in the general direction of where she was, 'What the fuck just happened here?!' he cried out in his head.

He scoffed once, getting the attention of a couple students that passed by. He scoffed again, rolled his eyes then stalked off towards their usual spot. Scoffing on the way there.

He found Roxas sitting under the tree trying to do some of his homework.

"Smooth move kid." He smirked as he sat behind the blond and leaned back.

"Is there a particular reason why you're leaning on me?" he tried to shove the red head off.

"Hmm…Good back rest?" he grinned. 'Plus punishment…'

"…" the blond grumbled and let out a sigh.

"Oh come on. What's a friend gotta do to get some loving eh?"

"I dunno, maybe ask first?!" he tried again to push the red head off.

"I'm extremely heartbroken Roxy." He sniffed.

The blond snorted, "Let me cry you a river when I'm done with my computing homework."

Axel chuckled but still leaned back on Roxas who still grumbled slightly but didn't bother to push him off anymore.

* * *

The next day, at the end of their English class, Roxas packed up his things, said that he'll see them later and walked off towards the red head. Just before they left the classroom, Hayner pulled the blond back so he could have a chat with him.

He stared at his friend confusedly before he turned back to the red head, "Go on ahead Axel, I'll catch up." Roxas spoke as he waved the red head off. Once Axel was gone, he turned back to Hayner. "What's up?"

"Roxas, you can't hang around both me and that '_emo_'you know."

He decided to let that 'emo' comment go, "Why?"

"Because! I don't like him that's why." He reasoned with a slight scowl.

"But he's my friend too, I don't see why I should stop hanging around him just because he's-"

"Then you gotta choose." He cut the blond off.

"What? Why do I have to choose?" he asked incredulously. "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

"I'm not cool with you hanging out with that freak."

"Don't call him a freak." He tried not to be angry at his friend.

"Just choose Roxas!" he finally cried out.

Roxas scowled, "Fine, I'd rather hang out with Axel then." He folded his arms.

"What?! You'd choose that emo over me?!"

"At least he wouldn't force me to do something I don't wanna do!" he retorted angrily.

"FINE!" he shouted and stormed off in the opposite direction, ignoring the looks of curiosity coming from the other students.

When Roxas arrived at the spot under the tree, he sat cross-legged and was unable to hide his anger.

"Yo Roxy, what's up?" Axel asked as he sat by the said person.

The blond huffed, "I got into another fight with Hayner."

"Ah…what about?"

The blond started mumbling and the red head tried his best not to laugh. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" he cupped his ear from behind and leaned in closer.

Roxas sighed, "Hayner wanted me to choose between hanging with him and you."

'Oh, you have _got_ to be shitting me…' the red head sighed, "I see…"

"You…don't mind right?" he asked quietly as he stretched his legs out. "Me hanging out with you all the time…"

"Of course not! Hell, whenever you weren't around, I'd feel so lost." He smiled, 'Not to mention I'd get abused by Larxene…'

The blond smiled, "Sure it's not because you'd get a kick from Larxene whenever I'm not here?"

'Did he just read my mind?' He laughed, "Oh, that's only one reason." He grinned as he turned away from the blond and rested his head on Roxas' legs again. "Good night. I didn't get much sleep last night."

The blond blushed slightly in embarrassment, "Couldn't you, oh I dunno, use your bag as a pillow instead of my legs?" he suggested as he tried to push the red head off.

"I would, but it's so much more comfortable here." He smiled and reached up to the blonds' neck to pull his head down a bit. "Look," he stared into the blonds' blue eyes, "I know you're going through a lot of shit right now. But remember, I'll always try to help you as much as I can ok?"

Roxas numbly nodded and his blush deepened at their close proximity and wondered why his heart was beating so fast.

"Good." Axel smiled and took his hand away from the blonds' neck. He later closed his eyes and dozed off.

The blond stayed in that particular position for a while, staring at the red head's face, his head still processing why his heart was beating so rapidly.

It wasn't until much, much later when lunch time was almost finished that he realized something.

They were on their way for their last period class which was physical education, the red head was saying something to him, but he wasn't really paying attention.

Eventually, Axel stopped right in front of him and asked him what was wrong. His face mere inches away from his own.

The blond blushed and insisted that nothing was wrong while taking a small step back. "Nothing what so ever."

Axel was not entirely convinced, but he didn't want to push the blond into telling him. "Just remember what I told you during lunch time ok?" he offered once again as he placed a supporting hand on the blonds' shoulder.

"Yeah, thanks." He nodded and watched as the red head walked away, expecting the blond to follow.

The red head paused and looked back at the blond, "Are you coming or what?" he called out.

He shook his head, laughed it off and ran after the red head who stared at him as though he grew an extra head.

Was he always this slow to realize something like this? He failed when it came to finding out about Hayner. Even then, Hayner was the one to spill the beans about it before he finally realized anything. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't that surprised that he's so slow to realize it's the same thing for Axel as well.

This might pose as another problem in his already problematic life.

He caught himself staring at Axel when he got changed into his P.E gear and almost swore out loud.

He was starting to understand now. How Axel always hung around him, always bought him things, always took him somewhere nice.

'Have I been leading him on by accident?' he thought to himself as the past events flowed through his mind. Like that time they went ice skating and they were…holding hands.

Now that he _really_ thought about it, hadn't he been flirting with the red head as well? Even though he never really meant for it in that sense.

The nickname that Axel gave him and how he wouldn't allow anybody else but himself to call him Roxy. The arm around the shoulder, how he always sat by him. The look and tone that he can finally conclude as jealously whenever he talked about Namine or to her, and the trading of music…

What was the last one? Click Five? Dashboard Confessionals? Was Axel trying to say something through exchanging music with him?

Again, he thought to himself, was he always this slow to realize something like this?

But he wanted to make sure it wasn't just his head thinking too much, "Hey Axel," he tried to start casually, "We haven't traded any music in a while." He kicked the soccer ball towards the said person.

For P.E class, Xaldin had them go through some soccer drills in pairs.

"Oh really?" he stopped the ball from under his shoe and stared up at the sky in thought and realized too, "Oh yeah, that's right. The last time I gave you something was at camp." He chuckled as he kicked the ball back to the blond.

"Do you have one?" he asked as he kicked the ball back.

"Ah…let me think." He stopped the ball again and gripped his chin in thought, "Ah, I heard this one on the radio just recently."

"That's so emo?" he cringed slightly, remembering what happened the first and last time he listened to that particular station.

"Nah, from another station. It's First Time by Lifehouse." He kicked the ball back to the blond.

"Ok, cool." He'll have to confirm it after school when he get's home. He dreaded it, but at the same time, he couldn't wait. He was curious, but he thought back to that saying about how curiosity killed the cat.

When he got home, he downloaded the song, and listened to the lyrics carefully. He could've just as easily searched it up, but this was different. He wanted to find out, but he wanted to do it at his own pace.

It didn't particularly sink in until the words, "Like being in love, to feel for the first time." Were sung.

He sat back in his chair and sank into it. Realization hitting his head over and over again. Like somebody holding up a ladle to a pot to his head and banging them together repeatedly.

Roxas realized that he might actually like the red head as more than a friend. There was no denying it this time. Although he tried over and over to convince himself otherwise that he and Axel were only just really good friends.

Tried to convince himself that his heart wasn't beating five times its original speed when he saw Axel the next day, tried to convince himself that his stomach didn't do flips when the red head sat beside him. Tried not to blush whenever the red head put his arm around his shoulder to take him to the next class and pretend that he didn't enjoy it.

Tried not to stutter when the red head phoned him later in the night for some help on their science homework, tried not to sound weird when he replied to the text that the red head texted him late at night.

Finally, during the end of Wednesday lunch time, he shrugged the arm off his shoulder that tried to lead him towards their final class of the day which was Science, hoping that the red head would understand, but Axel merely swung his arm around the blonds' shoulder again.

"Stop it, you're making me feel weird." He cut the red head off whatever he was talking about.

"Eh?"

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch time.

"Every time I'm around you, I feel weird." He shrugged the arm off again, this time, Axel didn't put it back on. 'Only just recently…'

"Must be my sexiness." He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows up and down but the blond merely frowned.

He blushed and avoided those green eyes, "I mean it Axel, it's not right."

"Roxy, Roxy." He shook his head with a smile, "Tell me, what is right," he held up one hand, "And what is wrong." And held up the other.

"This, is, wrong." He tried again.

"What, is, this?" he gave the blond a quirk of an eyebrow.

The blond didn't answer as he looked away and the red head finally realized what might be going on in Roxas' head.

"Seriously, Roxy-"

"Don't call me that." He cut him off.

"You didn't mind befo-"

"That was before, this is now." He cut him off again.

"Ok, _Roxas_."

The blond still hated the way his name rolled off the red head's tongue so easily.

"Again, I repeat. What, is, this?" he stared at the blond curiously.

They were the only two people of the school who were not in class.

Roxas turned away and mumbled something under his breath, the red head strained his ears to hear, and chuckled, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" he leaned a little closer to the blond.

"I think we should stop hanging out with each other."

The smile on his face faded away and he sighed, "Did Hayner put you up to this again?"

"No, it's not Hayner this time."

"Ok, so…" he paused, "You wanna stop…hanging out?" He asked again to confirm, hoping that the blond would suddenly laugh and say April fool's even though that was months ago.

"Yeah…"

"Why?" he asked confusedly.

"Because…you make me feel weird."

"And that's…not a good thing." He raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"No, it's not."

The red head closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose while trying to understand the situation that he was currently in. Nothing made sense what so ever.

He sincerely hoped that whatever he guessed before was off the mark.

"I'm sorry." He furrowed his eyebrows and the blond looked up to see why Axel was apologizing. "I don't understand why."

They were ten minutes late to class.

"It's complicated Axel." He reasoned.

"Help me understand why you don't wanna hang out with me anymore." He tried not to sound hurt. 'Give me a good reason why you don't like me anymore.'

After a long pause, and a bit of hesitation, the blond started talking. Then the talking slowly turned into shouting as Axel tried repeatedly to find a better way, and eventually the red head got fed up and left, only leaving behind a song for the blond as a farewell.

"False Pretense by 'The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus'. It fits." Axel sneered as he walked away.

They were twenty minutes late to class, Roxas ended up getting detention.

Axel skipped out on last period. He didn't get detention.

They had their first fight on a Wednesday afternoon.

* * *

On Thursday morning, before class, the red head was no where in sight. He didn't come during English, and he wasn't there during P.E.

He assumed that Axel decided to skip school. He wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or depressed.

He got into a fight with his brother after school when he asked what happened to Axel. Taking it the wrong way, he accidentally exploded at him.

"Hey, I was _only_ asking, don't have to bite my head off." The brunet retorted as he walked away towards their bus stop.

Roxas sighed and watched as his brother disappear around the corner. He cursed at his stupidity.

The next day, during last period which was English, he found that he couldn't sit by anybody. Not Hayner because they got in a fight, not Sora because he's still mad about yesterday. Not Axel because…he just couldn't. Even though the red head wasn't in class yet.

"Roxas! Over here." The bubbly dirty haired blond at the back waved.

He hesitated for a moment before walking up to him but refused to sit down. "Yeah?"

"Sit down, sit down." He motioned to his usual seat.

"…" the blond weighed his options. He assumed that Axel wasn't in school today, on the count of that he didn't come to any of their other classes before that. "Thanks…"

He couldn't help but miss the red head. Even though it was completely his fault to begin with.

Demyx merely grinned and watched as the blond took a seat and slowly take out his books.

The class started shortly and the blond quietly set to work.

Not five minutes into the class, the dirty haired blond hopped off his seat and claimed the one that Axel would normally be in. "Hey Roxas?"

"Yes…?" he didn't turn to the dirty haired blond. He didn't want to see somebody else sitting in _his_ seat.

"Are you ok?"

The blond suddenly stopped writing whatever he was copying from the board, considered the question before going back to work again, "I guess…" he paused for a moment, "I mean, it can't get any worse than this, that's for sure."

"Don't…" he furrowed his eyebrows in worry, "Don't say that."

"…Can we talk…? After school…" he mumbled out quietly.

"Sure." He grinned and pulled his books over to where he was sitting and copied out the notes of the white board.

When the bell rang signaling the end of school, Demyx bid Zexion a quick peck on the cheek before following the smaller blond out.

Roxas made a stop at his locker before he walked off again, making sure that the dirty haired blond was following before he progressed any further. In the end, they ended up at that quiet secluded place that he and Sora used to go to when they were troubled.

The blond sighed as he sat down. Demyx followed suit soon after. He waited until Roxas was ready to talk.

The blond sighed one more time before he held out his hand and counted from his fingers. "First, it was Hayner. And then my dad, and then my brother. And now Axel. I'm losing everybody I care about." he vaguely noticed that he was one more person off from a whole hand.

"You haven't lost me yet." The dirty haired blond grinned, trying to make the situation a little better than it actually was.

"I guess not." He smiled a little, "But you hang out with Axel, so…yeah." He shrugged.

The dirty haired blond sighed, "He's getting pretty hard to handle." Demyx scratched his cheek as he spoke.

The blond turned to him, "What do you mean?"

"He's…" he paused for a second, "Well, he gets angry pretty easily these days."

"I wouldn't know," he shrugged again, "He doesn't come to school anymore."

"Really? He's still at school though, we have art class together. I just thought he was just skipping out on English." He realized too late that his words were not making Roxas feel any better.

The smaller blonds' blue eyes widened in shock when he finally found out that Axel _was_ at school, just not in his class or classes. He turned away and laughed dejectedly.

"Look, Axel may seem like he's all emo and angry, but on the inside, he's really hurting." He placed a hand over his heart as he spoke then turned to the smaller blond, "Please talk to him."

"I told him I don't wanna hang out with him anymore because he made me feel weird. Is that wrong?" he scoffed and looked away before Demyx could provide an answer, "Of course it's wrong. My conscience told me off and in turn I told _him_ off and now we're avoiding each other." He sighed and buried his face in his hands. "Besides, I don't know how to talk to him anymore." He replied quietly, making him sound fragile and on the verge of breaking.

"It's easy!" he laughed, "Just go up to him and say something." He landed a hard pat on the blonds' back, almost pushing him out of his seat.

"That's easier said than done." He spoke as he turned to Demyx, 'For such a skinny guy, he's got a pretty hard hit.'

"I guess, but it doesn't hurt to try you know?"

The blond nodded his agreement but he probably wouldn't try. They sat in relative silence for a while, then the dirty haired blond got up to leave.

"He stopped smoking for you, you know…?" Demyx said as he walked away, leaving Roxas to think through his words.

When Demyx was gone and out of sight, the full extent of his words finally sunk in.

'He stopped smoking for me…?' he smiled a little, "He stopped smoking…for me?" he laughed and stared up at the blue sky.

Thinking back now, he only just noticed that the red head never smelled like smoke at all, and hasn't smoked once around him for a long time.

"Axel, why didn't you tell me?" he felt unbelievable happy.

Roxas was determined to find Axel tomorrow. It was their seventh week anniversary after all.

* * *

Have I lost it? I think I have...Somebody go find my useless brain for me. 


	58. Bit of Both

(Sighs) What have I done?

Early update to make up for the last update which was late. Jessie requested it of me. Lols!

**Soraslilangel** – Not always right? I mean, I can't be mean 100 percent of the time right? Right? Right?!  
**mornir-brightflame** – Lols, I apologize for affecting your health with this story of mine. And may I suggest you skip this chapter? Only because it will get rather…dramatic.  
**delayed-reaction** – Lols, I know what you mean, she got me to watch it as well. Lols. But it's good! Back to the story, Axel is just a little sad that he's not getting any love…Poor boy.  
**Colonel Roxas-chan** – Yes, poor Axel, but worry not, it'll get better, eventually…  
**Impiety** – Oh noes, I feel like I'm gonna disappoint you and myself this chapter! (Cries) Please forgive me if it's not quite what you think.  
**orange.tictacs** – Lols, thank you, but I hope it didn't distract you from your studies. Lols.  
**Kev the She-Wolf** – (Cries) Thank you, thank you so much! I feel so much better, but I don't know about this chapter.  
**hunted-snark** – Oh eh? Seriously? (Laughs nervously) I hope I don't disappoint you this chapter.  
**Ranchdressing** – Oh shits, KH3 on PS3?! FUCK YEAH! I am _so_ gonna get it now…  
**Malik's Bunny Mika** – Aww, thank you so much, I sincerely hope I won't fail!!  
**Pgtips** – Lols, thanks much, double brain power for me, hoorah!  
**Sarie Bear** – Lols, I completely understands. It's like…ice cream without the sea salt? Lols.  
**Launch shinra** – I'm so sorry I made you feel that way! First it was Namine, then it was Hayner, Omg!! But yeah, everybody is a bit bi-polar sometimes. I'm sure he wouldn't be so bad if I actually planned the fucking story out first! I'm so stupid sometimes!! But thank you for liking this story thus far.  
**pride1289** – Omg, you drew it already? I would LOVE to see it!!!  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – Yes, sexy zexy…(Rawrs…) Read on to find out more my friend, and I hope you'll bear with me.  
**Honto.Kawaii.Neko-chan** – Lols, I remembered this time, last time…It just slipped my mind. Opps…Lols.  
**WGreyB** – Oh, thank you for saying so! I felt that I rushed it a bit much…This chapter might also seem a bit rushed too. Scratch that, it's rushed like crazy.  
**XIII-Sunshine-XIII** – Lols! Good to see people are still downloading the music I've been mentioning. Haven't seen that around lately.  
**Pirate-Chic** – A sequel?? Omg, lols, I have no idea what to say. Erm…Maybe not? It really depends on my brain and if it's willing to share more ideas for this silly story. Lols.  
**Conductor of Darkness** – Hahahahaha! No…I don't do sex…Comprende?

Like, omg, I saw the CUTEST picture EVER! It was a picture of Café Kupo! Kya!!! Jessie sent me a picture of it over MSN, (screams) Thank you Jessie! You've made my day!

* * *

On Saturday morning, as soon as the blond got up from bed and brushed his teeth, he immediately got changed and left the house with his skateboard in hand. 

It only took the blond fifteen minutes to get to Axel's apartment. A million things passed by in his head as he thought of how he was gonna get the red head to talk to him, maybe ask for a second chance.

He felt his heart beat against his rib cage as he got in the elevator to go up to the fourth floor. He was sure that everybody within a mile radius could hear his heart pound so rapidly and so loudly.

When he was only eight steps away, the nervousness finally kicked in. But still determined, he walked right up to the door and was about to knock but halted just before his knuckles hit the door.

He forgot what he wanted to say.

'Act now, think later.' He concluded as he finally gathered up the courage to knock on the door. He fumbled his hold on his skateboard as he waited for the door to open up.

The door finally opened, but the red head who opened it was not the one he wanted to see and talk to.

"Roxy!!" he greeted happily.

He didn't like it when he called him by his nickname. When somebody else called him by that nickname.

"Hey Reno, is Axel here?" he felt his face burning up at the mention of his name.

"Aww, sorry he's not here." He put on a sad face.

"Oh, really? Um…" he raised his hand and scratched his cheek, "Do you know where he went?"

"No idea, that brother of mine doesn't tell me shit these days." He shook his head in dismay.

"Oh um…Ok then. If you see him, could you tell him I came by? I'll try again later."

"No problemo," he grinned, "But if nobody answers, it means that we're probably both at work or something."

"Oh, ok then. Thanks Reno." He waved and walked away.

The said person waved happily until the blond was out of sight and waited a moment longer before he closed the door. Once the door was closed, he waited another minute before he walked over to his brother's room and kicked the door open.

"Reno, what the fuck?!" the red head swore loudly as he bolted up from his bed.

"Do you have any idea how horrible it was to lie to Roxas?" he frowned.

"You did fine." He scowled as lied back down, facing the ceiling.

"His face was all red. He sounded worried, he sounded nervous."

"Reno, shut the fuck up." He wasn't in the mood for a guilt trip.

He ignored his brother and continued, "Do you have any idea how much courage that kid probably worked up just to come here?"

"I said, shut the fuck up Reno." He tried again and shifted positions on his bed so that he faced the wall, he wasn't in the mood to fight.

Again, he ignored his brother's words, "Do you have any idea how disappointed he looked when I said that you weren't here?"

Axel remained silent as stared at a particular spot on the wall.

"You're such an idiot," he scowled, "I don't even know how I'm related to a jerk like you." He went back into his own room and slammed the door shut.

After a moment of silence, he murmured out, "Me too…" his voice full of guilt.

* * *

Axel was sitting in the living room, randomly channel surfing. As expected, the blond came back some time later. Just before sun set. He switched off the tv, even though it probably wasn't loud enough to be heard from the outside. 

Still, you couldn't be too sure.

Reno didn't open the door, on the count of that he already left for work.

Roxas knocked on the door again and Axel remained still, thinking that if he made one movement, his position might be given away.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, a piece of paper was slipped under the door.

Axel didn't pick it up straight away and waited until he was sure that the blond wasn't outside anymore before he got up from the couch towards the door.

On the floor was a neatly folded piece of paper with the words 'To Axel' written on it. He bent over, picked it up and unfolded the paper.

Upon reading the words, he smiled sadly and finally let out a mirthless laugh.

On the note, it said,

'Happy seventh week anniversary.'

He sort of missed the blond, but he couldn't help but feel a bit of resentment towards the other boy who almost broke his heart.

Roxas tried again on Sunday, but Axel wasn't at home to see or hear about the blond coming to visit. He went to work.

* * *

On Monday, Roxas went around the school searching for him. Sometimes missing by seconds, sometimes missing him by a hair's breadth. 

He went to the music room, he wasn't there. He went to the spot under the tree, he wasn't there either.

He asked Demyx and the gang where Axel was, but they didn't know either.

He spent the whole of lunch time looking for him and eventually, close to the end of their lunch break, he found him sitting at the far end of the sport's field where the boys played soccer and where the girls played duck, duck, goose.

The red head never saw him coming, on the count of that he was facing the other direction.

He stood behind the red head who was writing in a notebook that had seen better days, "I heard you stopped smoking for me." he started casually and saw the red head's shoulders going rigid at the sound of his voice.

After a short moment, he relaxed his shoulders again and turned around to the blond, staring at him for a few seconds before turning away again.

During those few seconds, Roxas saw that his greens eyes were seemingly blank and unfeeling. He convinced himself somebody just did a voodoo thing on him, mainly because his heart just experienced a sharp jolt of pain a few moments ago.

"What about it?" Axel asked as soon as he turned away.

"Nothing, I just, I guess I'm pretty happy for you." He shrugged, trying to keep up the conversation between them going even though it was evident that the red head did not want to talk.

"Right." He let out a tired sigh.

Roxas frowned but tried again, "You've been missing a lot of classes lately, do you want to borrow any notes?"

There was a short pause as the red head considered the question before he finally answered, "No, I don't want your notes."

"Oh, ok." He felt a little disappointed, "Um…" he tried to think of something else to talk about.

"Could you just leave me alone." It wasn't a question, it was more like a half hearted demand.

Roxas frowned again, "Hey, I'm making an effort to talk to you, the least you could do is try." He snapped.

"I am not in the mood." He sounded angry and tired.

The blond felt a part of him growing very angry and sad at the same time. Somebody was having itchy fingers today, because somebody did another voodoo thing on his heart.

Roxas stared at the ground dejectedly, 'I deserved that…' he thought to himself, 'It's all my fault anyway.' He reasoned as he looked at the back of Axel's head, hoping for another chance but when nothing came, he slowly let out a breath, "…Ok then…Fine…" he mumbled out and slowly walked away, not noticing the look that Axel gave as he sank further and further into the distance, further and further away from him.

* * *

After school on Monday, when he got home after school and was half way through his homework, he almost jumped at his phone when it started vibrating. 

It was a message from Axel, he couldn't hide his happiness when he got it. He stared at the inbox and wondered what the message was about.

He was worried, but at the same time, he felt incredibly happy.

He finally opened the text message and frowned a little when he saw that it was just a song. And from the looks of the title, it was probably not a happy song either.

He switched on his computer, waiting for it to start up before he opened up the internet explorer, going to his music download site and putting in the words, 'The Kill' and '30 seconds from Mars' into the music search engine.

He found it and then downloaded it. He didn't listen to it straight away when it finished. But when he did, he suddenly felt horribly guilty and depressed.

He didn't manage to get the rest of his homework done.

On Tuesday, he didn't try to find the red head again, but after school, Axel sent him another song. 'Take it away by The Used.'

'His favorite band…' Roxas thought absently as he smiled sadly.

His computing assignment was left untouched after that moment.

On Wednesday, Axel didn't send him a song. For which he was half grateful for. He wasn't sure if he could stand listening to anymore of those emo songs.

He managed to get all his homework done, but they weren't up to his usual standards. He sort of, didn't care anymore.

But on Thursday, Axel sent him two songs, and Roxas furrowed his eyebrows in a mixture of worry and depression.

They were both from The Used again. One was called 'Blue and Yellow', the other was called 'On my Own'.

Roxas noticed a certain trend in the red head's choice of music. Maybe the red head just wanted the blond to look at the titles instead. The lyrics and songs didn't really fit much. He didn't really understand what the song was about either. The screaming never made any sense to him.

But the titles of the song were a completely different matter.

He still downloaded them and listening to them regardless.

He decided to go to bed earlier that night. He dreamt of those days when he used to hang around the gang and laugh about anything and everything. When he woke up in the middle of the night, he wished he could go back to those days.

He missed them.

On Friday, Axel came into their second period stats class, although he didn't sit by him at all. Roxas didn't mind though, he took it as a sign that maybe, Axel was slowly forgiving him.

He proved himself wrong when the red head sent him another music text, 'Listening by The Used'.

The title made him think that Axel was finally going to give him another chance, but he proved himself wrong when he downloaded the song and listened to it. He smiled sadly when the words, 'I'm not listening,' were sung.

On Saturday, just before the sun set, he went to find Axel again, although he still wasn't sure if the red head wanted to talk to him or not.

When nobody answered the door, he tried again, his courage slowly waning. His knocks growing softer with each try. He stayed outside for five more minutes before he decided that nobody was home. He left another note for Axel.

Wishing him a happy eight week anniversary.

* * *

On Monday lunch time, he saw the red head trying to walk away from him. Roxas managed to catch up, but he was still jogging to keep up with Axel's long strides. 

He didn't know why he was chasing after the red head, he acted before he could fully think through his barely formulated plan.

"Axel, could we please talk?" he insisted, thinking that maybe the words will come as they go.

"You can talk, but I'm not listening." He gave a sinister smirk, not turning his head once to acknowledge the blond.

Roxas frowned and stood in front of the red head who managed to side step just in time to avoid collision.

The red head let out a tired sigh, "I feel so tired just by being around you and talking to you."

"Axel, please." He tried again as he jogged after him.

The said person chuckled, "Weren't you the one who didn't want to hang around me anymore?"

"I take back my words and I changed my mind, please Axel, I've been trying to talk to you for ages."

The red head finally stopped and turned to face the blond, "Ok, fine. Talk." He folded his arms as he regarded the smaller boy who suddenly looked as though he was caught in front of the head lights.

"Ah…" he suddenly forgot what he wanted to talk about. "Um…"

What happened to letting the words come as they go?

Axel scoffed and walked away again, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black jeans. Somebody stopped him with a hard push before he got too far.

"Axel, don't be such a fucking dick." Demyx scowled at the red head, "Roxas had been trying repeatedly to talk to you and you're doing jack-shit."

A few people turned to watch when the atmosphere in the corridor suddenly plunged.

The red head frowned and tried again to walk away, he was not in the mood for anything.

"Do you have any fucking idea how much Roxas has been wanting to talk to you?" he stopped the red head again by stepping in the way, "Do you have _fucking_ idea how hard it is to do something that you think is wrong but you're gonna do it anyway? Just to make everything right again?" he jabbed the red head on the shoulder and ignored the sneer coming from him.

More people turned their heads to watch the two people argue and swear at each other. They could feel a fight coming on. They barely paid any attention to the smaller blond.

"Do you have _any, fucking, idea_," he landed another hard jab with each word he enunciated, and the red head was pretty sure it was gonna bruise tomorrow, "How much Roxas is hurting on the inside too?" he made a silent plea to the red head, wishing for him to understand, even just a little.

He snapped, "I don't fucking _care_ about Roxas anymore!!" he cried out and almost immediately regretted his words. He didn't expect the hard punch to come at his face when he shouted those words.

He crashed onto the lockers, making a loud commotion and swore as he reached up to hold his throbbing cheek. "Fuck…" Some girls gasped and the whole corridor and some other people came to be spectators. He turned to glare at the dirty haired blond.

Demyx didn't even look as though he was sorry, "What happened to the Axel that used to laugh a lot and joke around huh?"

Something close to pain and regret flashed through his green eyes, "He died a while ago." He reasoned as he got back up to his full height, his hand still holding onto his slowly numbing cheek.

Demyx opened his mouth to tell off Axel again, but the words that came out were not his own.

"I'm sorry."

Both Axel and Demyx turned to the smaller blond in slight surprise.

Roxas, who had been there the whole entire time, but was somewhat forgotten about, finally made his presence known again, "I'm-" he swallowed when something got caught in his throat, "I'm sorry…" the blond muttered out while staring at the floor. "I'm sorry." He apologized again. "I've made a lot of mistakes, but I'm only human right?" he looked at the red head who glanced away immediately.

Axel didn't want to look into those blue eyes that were on the verge of tearing up.

"Have I lost it all just because of one really, _really_ stupid mistake?" he pleaded and after a short moment of silence, he took the answer to be a 'yes' and slowly bowed his head low then walked away with dejection hanging heavily on his shoulders.

When the blond was halfway down the corridor, Demyx let out a tired and frustrated sigh then walked away from the red head as well.

When the dirty haired blond was gone, he forcibly wiped away the small trickle of blood from his lips and stalked off, 'Fuck, now I feel guilty…' he scowled and skipped the last class of the day.

The next day, despite what happened at their last meeting, Roxas tried again. This time, with more determination than ever.

Had Axel not been in such a horrible piss-ass mood, he might have actually enjoyed the fact that the blond was finally chasing after _him_ instead of the other way around.

The blond stopped right in front of him with a smile on his face, "Forgive and forget!"

When the red head said nothing in return, he tried again, "To err is human, to forgive is divine!"

Axel almost laughed at the blond who was acting like a complete idiot, but managed a half hearted scowl instead. He retorted with a quote of his own, "He who forgives readily only invites offense."

Roxas squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to gather his thoughts, "A wise man will make haste to forgive, because he knows the full value of time and will not suffer it to pass away in unnecessary pain." He was surprised he remembered such a long quote.

He _did_ spend the whole night sitting in front of the computer, skipping out on homework just so that he could search up quotes to say to Axel about the subject at hand.

The red head slowly stuck his hands into his pockets as he spoke, "We read that we ought to forgive our enemies; but we do not read that we ought to forgive our friends." He added a scoff, "Actually, I still hate Seifer's guts."

In another part of the school, the said person sneezed.

Roxas tried not to laugh too hard, even though he found that he was really enjoying their conversation. Even though it wasn't a _real_ conversation, at least they were still talking. "Forgiveness does not change the past, but it _does_ enlarge the future." He regarded the red head who was quick to answer.

"Forgiveness is me giving up my right to hurt you for hurting me."

The smile on the blonds' face slowly faded away, "Never does the human soul appear so strong as when it foregoes revenge, and dares forgive an injury."

The red head's features softened slightly, but it was still set in a slight scowl. "It is easier to forgive an enemy than a friend."

Roxas frowned in sadness, he suddenly forgot all the quotes that he had painstakingly memorized last night, "Why?"

"Because, the friend who I trusted most, betrayed me in ways I've never thought possible."

Roxas had his eyes downcast as soon as the words were spoken. The guilt has returned ten fold and was eating away at him again.

"I'm sorry." He apologized with all his heart, but he knew that Axel would not accept it.

"I'm not in a forgiving mood." He sighed tiredly as he ran his fingers through his red hair and walked past the blond.

"Forgiveness is not an emotion, it's a decision." He spoke before the red head was out of ear-shot.

"If that's the case, I'm deciding not to forgive you,"

The blond nodded and slowly walked away again.

"At least…not just yet." He murmured out as he continued down the hallway.

Roxas tried again the next day. He didn't memorize any quotes but he _did_ do something that was sure to make Axel say something. Or grab his attention at least.

It was just after the bell rang for interval to start, he got off his chair, left his bag where it was and stalked up to the back of the room where the gang sat, ignoring the looks of curiosity coming from the students, his friends, and his brother as they left the classroom. He slammed his hands on the table and demanded their attention.

Demyx had a small start while the rest of the gang, the last ones who haven't left yet, stared at the blond as though he's finally gone mad and snapped.

Instead of yelling and screaming, Roxas pulled at the hair that covered up his ears and leaned over the desk. "I got my ears pierced." He spoke with widened eyes and a grin on his face.

The red head widened his eyes slightly as he stared at the blond then noticed that the ears had a single, silver stud in them and the flesh was a bit pink.

"Do you have _any_ idea how much it hurts?!"

The dirty haired blond almost laughed but he managed to hold it back, this was their moment. Anything coming from anybody else could easily ruin it.

"And the fact that you have, what?" he released his blond hair and looked at Axel's ear from one side to another, "At least _two_ on each ear, I would've thought that it wouldn't hurt so bad." He scoffed and waved the comment off, "But no! I almost screamed my heart out in pain!" he looked away, grabbed his hair and tugged on them painfully, then turned back to the group, "Almost."

Demyx laughed quietly behind his hand while Xigbar looked disinterestedly around the room and Zexion had a small trace of a smile on his face.

"You know where I'm going with this right?" the blond quirked up and eyebrow at the red head as he folded his arms.

Axel opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. He smiled sadly, "Roxy, you're kind of breaking my heart here." He slowly got up and left the room.

When the red head was gone, Roxas slowly took in a very deep breath. Demyx thought he was about to scream, but he merely huffed.

"It's not about asking for forgiveness anymore is it?" he sighed as he turned to them. The dirty haired blond boy merely shrugged while the two others moved to leave the room, Demyx in tow.

"Sorry Roxas, I wish I know how to help you." He placed a hand on the smaller blonds' shoulder and smiled sadly before leaving.

The blond spent the rest of the day trying to figure out what Axel wanted from him. He lost sleep trying to figure it out. When he got nothing in the end, he decided to ask him the next day.

"Look Axel, I'm trying really, _really_ hard here. But you're not even giving me a second chance. I don't even know what this is about anymore."

"If you don't know, then it doesn't matter." He replied in a normal tone as he continued to walk briskly to his art class.

"Then at _least_ gimme another fuc-" he stopped walking and quickly covered his mouth before the word slipped out.

The red head chuckled mirthlessly as he turned back to the blond, "I'm bad influence." He let out a soft sigh then smirked, "Maybe it's best you stop hanging around me." He placed a hand on the blonds' shoulder as he walked towards his last period class.

Roxas stood there, still trying to absorb the initial shock that he actually almost swore. But he glanced at the spot where Axel had touched him just now. He felt happy, somewhat.

He chased after the red head the next day who tried to flee at the signal of the school week's end.

"I'm a very stubborn person Axel," he warned as he followed the red head. There weren't anybody around that part of the school anymore, "and I'm not gonna leave you alone until you tell me what's-"

"Fuck." He swore suddenly and stopped in his tracks, the blond stopped after he did, "Fuck, fuck, _fuck_."

Roxas wondered for a second if it was something he said.

"I can't fucking do this anymore!!" he cried out as he turned to the blond, his hands tightened to a fist. "You're ripping my heart out from my fucking chest and you're stepping on it like some piece of shit and breaking it into tiny, little, miniscule pieces!!" he screamed and then breathed in deeply, ignoring the look of hurt and shock clearly written on the blonds' face and who was still speechless.

He sighed, "Roxas." and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I can't deal with this right now. Do me a favor and leave me the fuck alone ok? Great…" he didn't wait for an answer before he turned around and walked away.

The blond let out a slow, long breath of air as the pang in his heart doubled, then tripled in ferocity. Soon he felt his whole entire being shaking and he couldn't stop it.

He shifted his blue eyes away from the retreating red head, unable to stay focused on him any longer as the words that Axel screamed out played like a broken record in his head.

'…Can't do this anymore! …Ripping my heart out…Breaking it into tiny, little, miniscule pieces.' He felt a headache coming on as the red head's voice grew distant and then loud again.

Slowly, he took a step back, and then another. And then he turned around and slowly walked away, stumbling over once when his foot got caught in between the concrete and the grassy area. But he didn't get very far before he fell to his knees on the soft grass and grabbed his hair at the noises that echoed around him.

It over-crowded his mind, he couldn't think, he couldn't hear his own thoughts.

He felt something inside of him break and then he screamed.

Axel whipped his head around to find the blond screaming his heart out, his small body wracking in horrible shakes.

He widened his eyes in shock as he ran up to the blond, "Roxas, are you ok?" he asked but the person ignored him as though he didn't exist. "Roxas! Calm down!!" he cried out and held onto the boy's shoulder in an attempt to soothe him, but the blond merely screamed harder and shook his head forcibly from left to right.

Tears streamed down his face and his screaming soon turned into raw whispers. He tried to catch his breath but promptly fainted due to hyperventilation.

* * *

Axel fidgeted in his seat as he waited. He looked around the unfamiliar surroundings and wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. 

He heard someone approach and he gripped at his pants and waited for the news to come, be it good or bad.

"I think you should leave Roxas alone…for a while at least." The brunet spoke as he stood by the red head who was sitting in the living room couch of their home.

Axel didn't meet Sora's eyes as he spoke, the horrible guilt was eating away at him and he wasn't sure if he could take it from another look alike.

He could still hear Roxas screaming in his head and the torn look coming from him. He was pretty sure he broke him…

"How is he?" he asked softly, still unable to look into the brunet's blue eyes. Those blue eyes that reminded him of Roxas.

"He _looks_ fine. But really, I don't know." He shrugged as he stuck his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"I see…" he stood up and proceeded to the door, but before his hand touched the door knob, he paused, "I'm sorry for what I did to Roxas." He apologized to the brunet. "And…tell him I'm sorry too." He grabbed hold of the door knob and twisted it open.

Sora caught the tone of guilt in the red head's voice, "Tell him that yourself. People deserve second chances."

He let out a mirthless chuckle, "I'd rather not. I don't think I have the heart to see him right now." He sighed, "Not that I _have_ one after what I did to him." He smiled sadly as he turned to the brunet. "See ya."

When the door closed behind him, he let out a sigh and wished he could just turn back time and stop this from happening.

He should've given Roxas a second chance when he asked.

Now, it's his turn to say he's sorry.

* * *

On Saturday, nobody wished each other a happy ninth week anniversary. 

They missed out on watching the sun rise too.

* * *

Roxas didn't come to school on Monday, Axel wasn't sure if he should be relieved or not. Although it certainly made going to class much easier. 

Just after their interval break finished, Axel and Demyx walked along the pathway that led back into the school building, idly watching as the students tried to get to their next classes on time.

From the corner of his green eyes, he vaguely noticed a small group of people coming towards them at a fast pace, possibly in an attempt to get to their next class as well.

He proved himself wrong when one of them punch him right on the face.

"Bitch!" somebody called out as the red head landed on the grass with a hard thump while Demyx and the group that followed cried out in shock.

"Holy shit Axel!" he ran up to the red head and crouched down beside him.

"Hayner!!!" the brunette that followed tried to hold the said person back but he merely ignored her.

"What have you done to Roxas?" he looked like he wanted to kick Axel as well, "You fucking broke him!"

The red head looked up to glare at the boy who dared to punch him as he held onto his throbbing cheek and then considered the words that were shouted at him, 'You fucking broke him!' His anger slowly dissipated.

"Stay the fuck away from Roxas." Hayner sneered while Olette and Pence tried to drag him away. "I knew you emos were nothing but trouble." His glared intensified before he finally stalked off, his friends following close behind, looking apologetic, and leaving behind a bewildered Demyx and an indifferent Axel.

Once Hayner was gone and out of sight, Demyx turned back to the red head, "Axel, you ok?"

"No…I'm not." He mumbled out as he got up from the ground, not even bothering to brush himself off as he walked to his art class.

Demyx furrowed his eyebrows in worry as he watched the retreating red head. He knew that Axel was beating himself up about it. He could see the burden that was resting on his shoulders as he walked, trying to make him crash.

He shook his head and wiped the worried look away as he ran up to the red head, "Hey Axel, wanna work on our art project during lunch or something, something?" he asked as he swung an arm around the said person's shoulder.

"Yeah, sure…Whatever." He shrugged as he stuck his hands into his pockets and continued walking.

"Cool, we'll get this done before it's due and get it out of the way." He grinned as he brushed his nose with a flick of the thumb.

Axel knew that the dirty haired blond meant well and was trying to cheer him up, but all he could manage was a small, barely visible smile.

* * *

Roxas came to school the next day, and Hayner made it his job to keep him away from Axel. Although he could only do it during English, interval and lunch. 

In the other times, he'd ask (more like demand, really) that he stay away from 'that emo' as much as possible.

Axel took it upon himself to keep away from the blond. In order to do that, he chose to reclaim his seat at the back of all of their other classes, where he could watch over the blond without getting involved and too close. It was little harder for their P.E class, but he found a way to remedy it, which was to visit Yuffie and ask for a doctor's note.

He wanted to say sorry to Roxas, but he didn't know how and he couldn't bring himself to talk to him. He just wanted everything to be back to normal again.

But what _is_ normal?

Would normal be when they would hang around together? Or before they even met and never knew each other?

It was hard to tell what normal was sometimes.

"Hey Dem," It was Tuesday lunchtime, which meant music session in the music room. "I'm gonna sit this one out, I don't…I'm not…" he couldn't finish his sentence.

He couldn't say that he didn't 'feel' like playing, and he couldn't say he wasn't in the 'mood' either. The two words made his heart twitch in pain. Just thinking those words made his heart tremble.

Having sensed his inner turmoil, the dirty haired blond smiled, "It's ok." He spoke as he slung his electric guitar strap over his head, "You can sit back and listen to us play."

"Thanks…" he replied as he sat on the piano chair, the only comfortable seat in the room.

He remembered when he first took Roxas to the music room and played on the piano for him. He remembered the look Roxas had on his face as he played the piano pieces. He remembered the small smile on his lips as he played.

He remembered so much, and it was hurting him little by little.

He can still sort of see him playing on the piano right beside him.

"I ain't playing this shit!" Xigbar cried out as he waved a piece of paper around, snapping the red head out of his thoughts.

"Aw, come on Xiggy, do you have any idea how long it took me to write those out?" the dirty haired blond begged.

"Fuck no, I ain't playing this shit." He threw the paper at the blond who caught it then folded his arms.

"I totally love Yellowcard though," The blond pouted and then a mischievous smirk graced his lips. The eye-patch wearing boy wasn't sure if he should feel threatened or not, "What the fuck are you looking at me like that for?"

"I have a picture," his grin widened, "Not just _any_ picture." He placed the piece of paper on top of the piano and slowly took out his phone, looked through his gallery before showing it to the other who tried to snatch the phone away after looking at it but was out of his reach.

"Delete that fucking picture now!" he demanded as he chased after the blond but couldn't get far because his bass guitar that was strapped around him and was connected to the amplifier was too short.

"Do as I say and I might." He snickered as he waved his phone around.

"Fuck no bitch." He growled out.

Axel was amused, more than amused. He noticed a slight tinge of pink on the bass guitarist's cheeks. It looked horribly out of character.

"Hmm…" he jutted his lower lip out as he placed one finger on his chin and idly waved the phone in his other hand, "Then I guess I'll just have to-"

"Send me a copy and I'll play it." he looked somewhat reluctant.

The blond didn't expect it to be so easy to get Xigbar to play the song he wrote out, in fact, he was so shocked, it was still registering in his head. The red head was curious as to what photo Demyx had that made Xigbar succumb to his every whim.

The blonds' mind finally caught up, "Really? So you'll play it if I send the photo to you?"

"Yeah, gimme it or I won't do jack-shit." He threatened.

"Cool, I'll send you the photo as soon as lunch is over." He bargained as he grinned from ear to ear and stuck the phone back into his pocket.

Xigbar grumbled as he picked up the piece of paper and returned to where he would usually stand then began looking at the music script. "This is total bullshit…" he mumbled as he started getting ready for the song.

"Ok, and we are ready to go!" the dirty haired blond exclaimed as he got ready himself and started playing, eventually Zexion and Sai'x joined in and Demyx started singing and finally Xigbar started playing with a scowl on his face.

"I can't find a wall to pin this to,  
They're all coming down since I've found you.  
I just wanna be where you are tonight.  
I run in the dark looking for some light,  
And how will we know if we just don't try,  
We won't ever know."

Axel frowned at the lyrics. Was Demyx trying to push his buttons? Probably not, the dirty haired blond would never intentionally try and make Axel angry. At least that's what he's hoping.

"And it's still so hard to be who you are,  
So you play this part,  
And the show goes on.  
But you've come this far with a broken heart,  
Yeah you've come this far,  
And you're broken."

Yes, he concluded that Demyx was indeed trying to push his buttons. He growled as he got up from the chair, picked up his bag and left the room before the song even ended.

The dirty haired blond stopped playing, "Er…Was it something I did?" the blond asked as he watched the door close behind the red head.

"It was something you _sang,_ Demyx." The slate haired boy clarified. The said person frowned and immediately wished he hadn't decided to play that song today.

Axel arrived to his last period class with still half an hour of lunch to go. He was not in the mood to do anything today, and the song that Demyx sang just made everything that much worse and that much harder.

He scowled as he took out his mp3 and switched it on, scrolling down his extensive list of songs until he found something to fit to his current mood.

The screaming that flowed out from the ear pieces wouldn't make any sense to a new listener, but after listening to it continuously over and over again in the past week or so, he sort of knew what the screaming was about.

He only managed to get 'Bite to break skin' from the screaming bits. But that part was already in the song title, so it shouldn't really count.

He made his chair scrape across the floor as he pushed his seat back and rested his forehead on the desk. He let his mind wonder idly. Going from his project that he had to do for art, the seven page homework that Vexen gave them for science, and that book assignment that Ms. Gainsborough handed out. He was paired up with Xigbar and immediately, he knew he was gonna fail. He meant no offence to Xigbar at all, but they were both sort of lazy people. He sincerely hoped that Luxord would be nice enough to give them nothing to do.

He wondered how Roxas managed to have fun _and_ get all his homework done before it's due. He smiled at the thought of the blond stressing over the homework and yelling at him to get started. He almost laughed out loud until he remembered their current situation.

He furrowed his eyebrows and frowned as he turned up the volume of his mp3 until he couldn't hear himself think anymore and drowned himself in the noise.

He didn't know how many songs he listened to, or how many minutes passed. But it must've been a good amount, since Luxord decided to land a thick and heavy textbook on the back of his head which impacted down on his forehead horribly.

He swore colorfully as he rubbed his forehead and glared up at the older man. "Did you have to do that?" He watched Luxord smirk and then speak, but he couldn't hear him over the music that was playing. He quickly took off the ear pieces that hindered his ability to listen.

"-boring enough to sleep through, you must be an expert in it hm?"

"Repeat the first half?" he made a face of utter confusion at him.

Luxord shook his head in disappointment. "Where is your head at Axel? You've been nothing but a slacker since you moved back here."

The red head frowned as he sank into his seat, careful not to let his eyes stray to the front of the room. "Sorry…sir." He apologized half heartedly.

"Just don't do it again." He returned to the front of the classroom and continued to write something out on the white board.

When his green eyes finally wandered towards the blond, he felt a little disappointed when he saw that his blue eyes were facing the front and not on him.

Almost as though he felt someone watching him, Roxas slowly turned his head towards the back. The red head's heart almost skipped a beat when he thought that Roxas was going to turn around and look at him. But the blond stopped himself before he could and turned his head back to the front.

It was sort of heartbreaking, and he sank furtherer into his seat and proceeded to drown out Luxord's teachings for the remainder of the period.

When the end of the day came, he waited at the back of the classroom for everybody to leave. Almost everybody was out too, except for one person.

Roxas was still sitting in his chair, and for a moment, Axel panicked. He wasn't ready to confront the blond just yet. The anxiety, guilt, shame and regret made his body shiver in adrenalin. He tried not to stare at the back of the blonds' head but found that he couldn't tear his eyes away.

Although when Roxas finally decided to leave, the red head wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or hurt. It was a mix of both.

Luxord didn't give the class any homework, but it didn't make him feel any better at all.

* * *

Over the next couple of days, whenever Roxas got remotely close towards the red head, whether it was intentional or not, Hayner and Sora took it upon themselves to steer the blond away again. 

Roxas wouldn't mind so much, he wasn't concentrating half the time.

Axel's heart would twist in agony every time he saw the blond in that state. Blue eyes that lost its shine, emptied out of its brilliant light and life.

He seemed duller, if not more paler. He didn't look too healthy either.

Once, during lunch time, when the red head was trying to buy some food at the cafeteria, his gaze fell upon the brunet who was trying to coax the blond into eating something. The red head over-heard bits of their conversation as well.

"I'm…not hungry thanks." Roxas reasoned as he shook his head and gently pushed away the offered food.

"Roxas…" Sora sighed, "You haven't eaten a decent meal in days, you're gonna faint again if you don't eat soon." He looked at his brother worriedly and his friends had the same look on their faces too.

"I'll be fine," he insisted as he smiled at them, "Really, I'm just not feeling hungry today that's all."

Axel didn't stay long enough to hear anything more after that conversation. He had bolted out of the cafeteria after hearing Roxas' almost dead, lifeless voice.

'It's all my fault…' he thought to himself as he leaned back on a nearby wall, trying to calm his heart that would wretch in pain whenever he thought about the blond.

He decided to find him the next day, since it was the weekend, and he hoped that Roxas would be at home.

It was Saturday, which meant it was their anniversary day. Their ninth week anniversary.

'Wait…isn't it…our tenth?' he suddenly remembered and smiled sadly as he sat in the driver's seat of the car.

It was a while before he worked up the courage to slowly get out of the car. He looked up at the window of the blonds' room, half wishing that Roxas was looking outside the windows looking for him.

He let out a quiet sigh as he closed the door and walked up to the door. His palms were starting to sweat from anxiety. He sucked in a breath and held it as he raised his hand up to the wooden door.

It took him ten seconds before he decided to knock on it. And he didn't breathe out until he heard somebody come down the stairs.

He had hoped that Roxas would open the door, but the brunet did instead. Sora almost slammed it shut again but opted for a semi-glare instead.

"Who is it?" Roxas called from the top of the stairs.

Sora jumped a bit and then thought up of a quick lie, "It's just Riku! I'll be outside for a while."

"Ok. Hurry up or else you'll forget what I told you a minute ago."

"Yup, yup." He called back and walked out without his shoes on then closed the door behind him. "Yes?" he looked up at the red head and folded his arms.

"I…" he suddenly found it very hard to talk, "I was wondering, if I could-"

"No."

Hip lips still fixed in a shape of an 'o', he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Didn't Sora say before that people deserve second chances?

As though reading his mind, he answered, "Yes, I remember what I said about people deserving second chances, but after I thought about it," he paused for a moment as he looked away, "…you kind of don't." he seemed half sympathetic.

The red head tried not to frown, 'I suppose I deserve that…'

"He had tried repeatedly to get to talk to you again, but you ignored him. It pisses me off." His lips were set in a slight frown.

This is the first time Axel has ever seen the bubbly brunet, not so bubbly. He was kind of scared.

"Wait there for a second." He opened the door and walked back in, careful not to leave the door open just in case.

At first, Axel thought he could talk to Roxas again but his hope was shot down the drain when the brunet came back with the guitar he gave to the blond in hand.

"Here, take it back. He's been playing on it non-stop."

"But I bought it for him."

"You're breaking his heart." He shoved the instrument into the red head's chest who fumbled his hold on it.

With a final half hearted glare, Sora went back inside the house without saying goodbye and quietly closed the door behind him.

Axel stood there, outside their door, with a guitar in hand. He could've just as easily knocked on it again and shout for Roxas to come out. But instead, he walked away with a rueful smile on his face.

How did their situation do a sudden 180 degree turn?

He sat in his car for who knows how long, occasionally glancing over to the guitar that sat on the passenger seat. His heart painfully throbbed whenever he did. It was a painful reminder of what he did to Roxas. He sucked in another breath, started his engine and slowly drove away towards the direction of a certain dirty haired blond. He didn't want to go back to his apartment where he knew his brother would be waiting. He knew Reno would say something along the lines of, 'I told you so.' He already felt guilty enough as it is.

When he arrived, he didn't know why he took the guitar out of the car with him. He stood in front of the front door with a sullen look on his face and when Demyx finally opened up, the dirty haired blonds' smile slowly faded away.

With just one look at the red head, Demyx immediately understood and allowed the red head passage into his home.

"Hey," the dirty haired blond greeted as Axel stepped inside, careful not to let the guitar hit the edges of the door. "You hungry? I'll go warm up some mac and cheese for you." He offered as he swung an arm around the red head's back and gently kicked the door close.

"…Thanks…" he mumbled out.

Whether it was to thank him for the offer or to thank him for letting him inside was uncertain. It was probably a mix of both.

Somebody was having a shit load of fun with his heart today. He'd kill whoever owns a voodoo doll of him, if he ever found out.

While Demyx was in the kitchen fixing up something for the red head to eat, after a small bit of hesitation, he sent a text to Roxas.

* * *

"So," Roxas spoke as he continued writing in his exercise book, occasionally looking over to the novel that was opened in front of him. Sora, who was lying on his stomach on the blonds' bed, looked up from the book he was reading and raised his eyebrows in an inquisitive manner. "You're just gonna sit there and make me do the whole book report while you read comic books?" 

The brunet grinned, "Of course not, you do the first half and I'll do the second half."

"Sora, it's not gonna work that way." He stopped writing and spun on his chair to face his brother, while the hand that wasn't holding the pencil reached up for his ear.

The brunet shifted his eyes momentarily at his brother's ear, "It worked last time though."

"_I_ did all the work last time." He rolled his eyes and swiveled left and right on the chair that he sat.

"You should stop touching your ear, it's gonna get infected you know?" Sora brought up as he closed the book and sat up on the bed.

Roxas stopped his fiddling and inched his hand away from the ear, "Oh, I didn't even know I was doing it."

Sora laughed as he hopped off his brother's bed. "I'll go get my books, wait for me ok?"

"Yeah, sure." He nodded as he watched him walk out of the door into his own room.

The phone in his pocket vibrated and it made his heart skip a beat. He reached into it and pulled it out and contemplated deleting it right then and there.

He opened it instead, revealing a music recommendation. 'Listen to the second part of the chorus of 'Broken Heart' by 'Motion City Soundtrack'.'

He read and re-read the text three more times before he exited the message and placed the phone back on the table. Slowly, he reached up for his ear again and gave the stud a small twist, trying to remember why he got it and tried to remember why he still kept it on. He slowly spun on his chair to face his work table and opened up a small drawer. Inside was a small gift bag.

He quickly closed the drawer again when he heard his brother coming in, dragging his bag behind him on the floor.

"What book are we doing again?" his brother asked sheepishly as he raised a hand to scratch his cheek.

"We're reading the play on 'The Crucible'." He smiled as he picked up the book and showed it to his brother.

* * *

It was late on Sunday night, and still, the city was alive and partying and or clubbing. A certain red head was cleaning up a table after a fairly large group of people just left the under ground room. He picked up the dirty, empty glasses, some with tooth picks in them, some with a half eaten olive, a couple with a few orange peels and straws, and placed them on the black circular tray that he always carried around and took them over towards the bar and left it there for the barman to take it out back to be washed and clean. 

He then reached over the counter top for a semi-wet cloth and started wiping down the table with it, making sure that it won't be sticky and will be clean for the next bunch of customers.

When he was done with that table, he went back towards the bar, tossed the cloth into the sink and picked up a black circular tray and went around the other tables picking up empty glasses, occasionally putting on a fake smile and chatting with the interested female and sometimes male clientele.

It was about midnight before manager of the bar AKA his boss said that he could go for a break. He nodded his head, placed the tray on the countertop and walked up the stairs to the outside world. When he got outside, he gave a curt nod of acknowledgment to the tall, sun glasses wearing bouncer of the club, stepped to the side and let out a tired huff as he sat on top of an electrical box. A few girls waiting to go into the bar giggled at the cute sight.

Whether it was because he just sort of made a fool of himself in front of them or because he was a hot looking waiter, it was uncertain. Maybe it was a mix of both.

Once the numbing pain in his feet almost subsided away, he reached into his pocket and took out his lighter and a packet of cigarettes.

He idly flicked the lighter on and off, and watched as the flame occasionally blew out due to the slight amount of cold wind, his other hand lightly held onto the packet.

He barely noticed somebody standing in front of him.

"Mind if I have a smoke?" the person asked casually.

The red head froze at the familiar voice but managed to school on a blank look as he raised his head to see the other.

He noticed the black converse shoes, the tight, fitted black jeans, the silver chain hanging off on the side, the dark jacket and his blue eye. The only one that's visible.

"You dyed your bangs red." Axel commented as he raised the packet to the other.

"Long time, no see to you too Axel." The person smirked as he picked a cigarette out of the packet and stuck it in his mouth before leaning down slightly towards the said person.

The red head let out a quiet sigh as he flicked the lighter on and raised it to the cigarette, "Never thought I'd see you again, Jesse."

The said person inhaled the smoke and then smirked as he blew it back out leisurely at the red head who remained nonchalant.

"Yeah, I missed you too."

* * *

Hahahaha…No, that's not Jesse McCartney in the story. 

Hello writer's block, I only have one thing to say to you, (Ahem) DIE YOU STUPID FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!!! (ahem) Goodbye.


	59. Trials and Tribulations

Gasp, what was that in the last chapter? Read on my friends, read on.

**Soraslilangel** – Lols, I did say before that you'll like it. And I'm glad you did! Woot!  
**DeeVC** – Yes I have!! Except I forgot what it sounds like…Damn…I must find it again.  
**Cain the XIII** – Lols! Oh my mansex, that's a funny one.  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Who's Jesse? You'll find out in this chapter.  
**Ranchdressing** – Yeah, is it about that…that…I forgot what it's called but Roxas and Axel is in it! OMG I WANT!!! Lols.  
**XIII-Sunshine-XIII** – Aww that agony!!! The twists of pain!! The wretchedness!!! Oh damn!!!  
**loverofAkuRoku** – Lols, Axel and Roxas could NEVER hate each other. They're just having a rough time, you know?  
**Kuariryu** – Almost? Damn…I was so close, _so_ close…  
**Conductor of Darkness** – Lols, don't faint like Roxas did!!! (Slaps!) Wake up man! Lols, here's an update for the slap…(Eepp)  
**Adalibina** – Aww, thank you! You make me feel so happy from that comment. (Grins) But you gotta understand what Roxas is going through, it's not easy on him either, ya know?  
**Leixra** – Huh? You don't remember? It was the earring that Axel bought and gave the other half for Roxas to wear! You don't remember? O M G!!! But yeah, luckily I added the last bit that said it wasn't Jesse McCartney. Oh the irony…  
**WGreyB** – Oh, ho, ho, ho…I like this Jesse guy, but I don't know if anybody else would like him after this.  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Crap…I'm sorry for making you feel that way…But, erm…Don't worry? It'll be ok soon…More or less…  
**Sarie Bear** – Lols. (Checks) Lol! You missed by one! (Falls off chair)  
**PaopuTheif** – Lols, didn't that make you feel happy? Early Christmas for you. (Oh, ho, ho, ho.)  
**Malik's Bunny Mika** – Lols, I hope you don't get into a seizure fit…I ain't driving you to the hospital. (I'm not being mean though, lols.) But I can't believe you cried! Makes me feel wonderful, and I hope that didn't sound to sadistic…Haha…  
**delayed-reaction** – Lols! She sent me the link to watch it too! I seriously wanted to eat waffles, pancakes and French toast…All in one go! But yeah, I'm sorry it made you cry, feel better soon ok?  
**Tater Tots** – Lols!! (Falls off chair) I think the writer's block revived itself, because I was still sort of half lost during this one. But oh wells.  
**Launch shinra** – Aw damn, so close to tears. But no, he didn't start smoking again, he was just randomly playing around with the cigarettes. And to reply about those three things, one, Jesse is…well, you'll find out eventually. Two, if you remembered correctly, which only a few did, you'll know it was the earring the other half of the earring that Axel gave Roxas on their anniversary. And three, since it will not be mentioned in this story, ever, is a photo of Xigbar and (ahem) kissing. Hehe…  
**mornir-brightflame** – Poor Roxas was so confused, he didn't know what he was supposed to do. But yeah, I've somehow managed to turn them into enemies of the state, which really sort of sucks on their behalf.  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Lols, at least I got a few tears from you. But the drama just started! It'll be over soon though, I like drama, but I just feel so guilty about it in the end. Lol…  
**Plain Jane Is A Vampire** – Ho, ho, ho, I thought it was getting a whee bit too long, so I decided, ok, I'll put the rest up in the next chapter. Lols. But don't worry, everybody mispronounce stuffs sometimes.  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – There's a Jessie in Pokemon? Oh, I didn't know that. Lols, I stopped watching that anime ages ago. But yeah, it's a bit of a half, half situation with who to feel sorry for. And hoorah for Demyx! If there was no Demyx, Axel would not be a very happy person. Neither would Zexion. Poor Zexion, he hasn't had much screening time.  
**hunted-snark** – Lols and for that, I am extremely happy! (Grins) Thanks mucho!  
**Pirate-Chic** – Lols, forever and ever and ever…I don't think I can do that…  
**Kaja** – Aww, so sorry I made, I mean, Roxas made you cry, but erm, don't worry? All will be ok soon. And I'm extremely happy you wasted your day away and some of your morning reading this story! It makes me so happy!  
**pride1289** – Yeah, writer's block is a total bitch like that sometimes…I just wanna kick it's ass to outta space, ya get what I mean? Lols. Yeah…  
**SkiHigh** – Lols, thank you! I'm really stark raving happy you like this story.  
**Colonel Roxas-chan** – OMG, you cried twice? I am so sorry! I did not mean (ok maybe a little) for such pain and heartache! Forgive me!

Thank you all for the AWESOME 900 review and 50k hits! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

But it is my honor to dedicate this chapter (I'm sorry even though it sucks) wholly to soraslilangel AKA Jessie and XIII-Sunshine-XIII. They made my day (or night) when they drew me a picture of a particular scene for this story. It unleashed the fangirl within me and I couldn't stop going "KYAAAA!!!" at it.

* * *

Demyx never really liked Mondays. It was sort of hard to get up in the mornings after sleeping in till after 12 in the afternoon for the weekends.

He yawned as he walked down the crowded hallways towards the usual spot, careful to keep an eye out for a certain person. When he got there, the person he was looking for was no where in sight. That was when he concluded that he didn't just dislike Mondays, but he sort of hated it too.

"What's wrong Dem?" somebody asked, noticing the strange look on the said person's face upon his arrival.

"He's not at school is he?" he furrowed his eyebrows in worry and let out a sigh as he sat down beside the slate haired boy.

"You mean Axel? I don't know. I don't take any other classes with him." He shrugged and closed the book he was reading and stuck it inside his black messenger bag.

Demyx let out another sigh as he concentrated on a particular grass on the ground.

The red head didn't even say goodbye or leave a note when he left on Sunday morning. And he couldn't get into contact with him either. Axel wasn't at his apartment when he drove over to find him. And he couldn't find him at all his favorite spots at all.

Axel's slowly drifting away from them.

"What's wrong Dem?" Zexion had shifted his position to sit right in front of the blond.

"I'm worried about Axel."

"Axel can look after himself." He tried to comfort the blond, reaching out to hold his hands, "You've known him a lot longer than me, you should know how he is right?" he asked as he tilted his head to the side, trying to see the blond through both eyes.

"Yeah…" he furrowed his eyebrows in concern, "But I'm worried about Roxas too."

"Ah, Roxas…" he averted his eyes away for a moment before looking back at the blond, "Have you talked to him?"

Demyx opened his mouth and then suddenly stopped mid way and realized something, "Actually, no I haven't." he grinned as he stood up, "Thanks Zexy." He bent over and gave the slate haired boy a light peck on the cheeks before running off to find a certain blond.

It was a lot harder than he thought it would be.

When he found him and his group of friends somewhere in the cafeteria, he decided it was time to interfere.

He walked up to the group casually and then landed a heart slap to the back of the smaller blond who took a step forward to stop himself from falling flat on his face.

"Hey Roxas! How's it going eh?" he grinned and then widened his eyes a little bigger and leaned down slightly to look at the blond, "Damn, you look sick, you feeling ok?"

"I'm fine, thanks Demyx." He replied with a smile.

"Cool, cool. Wouldn't want you getting sick now eh? What with the sudden onslaught of projects and assignments and all that sh-rap." He almost swore but managed to cover it up quickly.

He noticed the other people staring at him so he quickly greeted them as well, "Yo, sup?" He clicked his tongue and winked at them then turned back to the blond. "Hey Roxas, mind if I talk to you for a bit?"

"Sure, but I don't have much say in the matter," he nudged his head towards his friends.

Demyx laughed, "I see," he turned to the group and pointed at the blond, "You guys mind if I just talk to him for a bit? We won't be far off, or long."

Sora turned and looked at Riku worriedly who offered a slight nod of the head, he turned back and nodded. "Sure,"

"What?! Sora, you've got to be sh-" Hayner protested but quickly shut his mouth when Sora glared at him.

"We'll be here if you need anything Roxas." The brunet gave a reassuring smile to his blond counterpart.

"Sweet, thanks a bunch." Demyx smiled and gave them the thumbs up as he gently pulled the shorter blond along until they were a good ear shot away from the group. "Woah man, there was so much tension in the air." He laughed as he started fanning himself with his hand.

"I guess they're just being protective." Roxas shrugged as he stuck his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"What for? It's not like I'm gonna eat you or anything." He laughed at himself.

Roxas smiled, "I guess, but that's how they are." He turned his head and watched as Hayner folded his arms and tapped his shoe on the ground with an air of impatience. "So, what's up?"

"Aww nothing much, nothing much. How's that book assignment of yours going?"

"It's ok, Sora's making me do all the work though."

"Ah, it's the opposite for me. Zexion's the one doing most of the work. I don't know half of what's going on." He smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"You're working with Zexion?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, Axel's stuck with Xigbar. They're both pretty lazy people so I'm not sure if they're gonna pass it or not." He laughed but his laughter soon died out when he realized that Roxas was giving him a worried look.

Demyx sighed, "Hey, look. I don't know what's really going on with you guys anymore but…Ah well, I'm not sure if I should be bringing this up but, you know." He shrugged, "He's been singing Delta Goodrem songs, like 'lost without you' and some others I'd rather not remember." He chuckled.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked, although it was mildly comical to hear that Axel was singing non-emo songs, especially from Delta.

"I…figured you should know…" he shrugged again.

"Thanks…Demyx, but…I think Axel made it quite clear he wants nothing to do with me."

"But Roxas, that's not-"

"Please…" he pleaded silently, eyes downcast in an attempt to hide his emotions.

"Alright, I'm sorry. Truly I am. But we're still friends right?" He asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Yeah…I guess." He smiled half heartedly, "See you later." He waved and walked back to the group, acted as though the conversation never took place.

Demyx furrowed his eyebrows in worry as his gaze followed Roxas. He let out a quiet sigh, "You've been suffering a lot haven't you Roxas?" He spoke quietly to himself, "But I can tell, you need him just as much as he needs you…" he continued to watch the blond smile at the jokes they said and pretended as though he wasn't hurt by any of the recent events before he decided to walk away.

* * *

The TV skipped to the next channel, and then to the next, and then to the next. The holder of the remote control couldn't decide what to watch. Not like there was anything good on TV anyways. They mainly showed morning infomercials and sometimes a few programs for snot-nosed brats.

He let out a tired sigh as he switched the TV off with a push of the button and threw the item onto the coffee table.

"This is fucking bullshit." He quietly swore to himself as he buried his face in his hands. Trying to wake himself up from his two hour slumber after work that he had just awoken from only minutes ago.

"Hangover?" a voice made itself known.

The red head peered through the gaps in his fingers and noticed the other leaning on a wall casually. He sucked in a breath and finally let it out in a small huff of a reply, "No."

"You look like you just got run over by a truck." The other pushed himself off the wall and walked into the kitchen and opened the freezer. "Why do you have two boxes of sea salt ice cream in here? I never knew you were the kind of person to eat weird shit." He commented as he closed the door, walked back into the living room area and sat on the other unoccupied couch.

Axel merely scoffed.

A door leading to another room opened and out came another red head who stopped short when he entered the living room. Reno looked from one person to another and finally rolled his eyes in irritation then headed for the door.

"I don't even wanna know." He shook his head as he slipped his work shoes on and left the apartment.

Once the door was slammed shut, the stranger of the house spoke, "He's not happy to see me," he looked at where the other red head had stood just before.

Axel scoffed again, "I think it's _me_ he's not happy with." he examined the other who sat casually on _his_ couch, in _his_ apartment and acting as though he _owned_ the damn place.

"This place hasn't changed much." He pointed out as he looked around the apartment.

He frowned and counted back to the last time he saw the other boy, "It's only been four months Jess."

"Hey, a lot can happen in four months." He shrugged as he turned back to the red head, "Look at you. You're different."

"And you're still the same." He smirked as the other boy ran his fingers through his hair, mixing his red bangs in with the black. "Don't tell me you're still baking blueberry muffins at that café."

"Nah," he smirked as he crossed his leg over the other, "I'm making chocolate muffins too."

The red head snorted as he sat back into the couch. "Yeah, still the same."

There was a short moment of silence and Axel wished it would stay that way for a while longer, but his wish wasn't granted, "So Axel,"

"What." The said person sighed out, not really in the mood to talk to the other boy.

"Who's that kid that was in your sketchbook?"

The red head's eyes widened a little as he turned his head to Jess who had a glint of amusement in his blue eyes. "You looked through my stuffs?" Axel sneered as he pushed himself off the couch.

"It was just lying on your table." He shrugged, "So who is he?"

"None of your fucking business." The red head glared at the boy who merely smirked.

"New boyfriend? Or should I say ex?"

"Like I said, none of your fucking business." He grated out as he stood up from the couch and proceeded into his room. "You know the way out."

"Why? Is it because it's true?" he followed the red head into his room and stood by the doorway and watched as he cleaned up his work table.

Axel refused to answer as he picked up all his sketchbooks, opened one of the drawers of his table and stuck them all in.

"I'm starting to like you again." The other smirked as he leaned on the doorway.

"I don't like you at all. Now get the fuck out of my apartment." He replied as he tried to de-clutter his table from the pens and pencils lying all over the top.

"I know you miss me too Axel, we were both great together." He moved closer to the red head.

"No thanks. I don't wanna be with you ever again." He turned around and stopped short, he hadn't expected Jesse to be right behind him.

"Aw come on Axel, you're just saying that." He folded his arms across his chest and looked up into the red head's green eyes.

"Yeah and I mean it too." He frowned at the boy who was shorter than him by only half a head then grabbed his shoulders and pushed him out of his room, grabbing the other boy's jacket on the way out and going towards the door of the apartment.

"Kicking me out already? We haven't even done anything yet." He added with a sly smile.

"I'm glad we haven't." he snorted as he opened the door and pushed him out.

The boy smirked, "If you ever change your mind, you know my number."

He threw the black jacket out, "Sorry, I deleted it when we broke up." He slammed the door shut before Jess could say anything else, but he could still hear the muffled words coming from the outside.

"If that's the case, you know where I live!!"

Axel wanted to shout back something along the lines of, "I don't fucking care!" but decided to not waste his energy. He decided to go back to his room and go back to sleep.

That is, if he could stop thinking about a certain someone first.

He managed to send a text out before he fell into another slumber.

* * *

As soon as school was over and as soon as they got home, Roxas retreated into his room. It wasn't long before he burst out again.

"Where's my guitar?!" Roxas cried out as he looked at his brother who was halfway up the stair case.

Sora stared at the blond and proceeded to consider the question, "Oh, I gave it back to Axel."

"Why?!" He screamed out. He was on the verge of ripping his hair out.

"I got angry at him, so I told him to take it back." He was slightly surprised that his brother only noticed just now. It's been gone for over 2 days.

Roxas let out a yell of frustration as he retreated back into his own room. He slammed the door shut and stared at the spot where his guitar use to be. He sneered at the empty space and walked over to his table, picked up all the pieces of papers where the red head had painstakingly written out for him and threw them all in the rubbish bin.

The feeling of exasperation still hasn't left him, and so, out of irritation, he took off the earring and threw them into the rubbish bin along with the papers. He fell atop of his bed with a huff and wondered how long it would take for his ears to heal. He hoped that his heart would heal at the same time as well.

* * *

_Roxas awoke and stared up at the ceiling. Or whatever could be the ceiling. He wondered when he fell asleep as he closed his eyes again and let out a quiet sigh._

"_I can't do this anymore."_

_He opened his eyes again and saw the multicolored haze hovering above him, he widened his eyes in shock, let out a surprised yell and quickly shuffled away from it. _

_It slowly drifted towards him and he shuffled away again, pushing against the floor with the soles of his shoes._

_After a moment of silence and scrutinizing, he noticed something different about them. The red wasn't quite as noticeable as the yellow and the blue, neither was the green. It almost looked as though they were slowly fading away or the other two colors were absorbing them._

_The colors looked as though they were trying to take shape. Of what, he didn't know._

_But the longer he stared and watched them, the more he noticed that they would break apart whenever they could form anything in particular._

"_What are you trying to do?" he asked no-one in particular._

'…_I'm trying to remember…' the blond let out a short yelp of surprise and took another step back, he really hadn't been expecting a reply._

_He took in a shaky breath and asked, "Remember what?"_

'_Who I am.'_

_That voice sounded familiar, but at the same time, it didn't, "…X?"_

'_Not anymore.'_

"_Who are you?"_

_There was a short moment of silence before an answer was given, 'I'm not who you want me to be.'_

"_Then who are you suppose to be?" he tried again._

'_I'm not the one you want to see, the one you want to hear, the one you want to talk to, the one you want to be with.'_

"_What do you know…?" he mumbled out and felt himself slip out of whatever state he was in.

* * *

_

Roxas opened his eyes stared at the white ceiling of his room. He couldn't remember what the dream was about, but there was a residual feeling of mixed regret, guilt and anxiety. He wondered what it was about and wondered why there was a different sort of pain that echoed in his heart.

He swung his feet over the bed and sat there numbly for a short moment. He spotted the rubbish bin sitting by the table and slowly, he got up from the bed and walked over to it, then bent over to pick up the pair of earrings sitting atop the papers.

He stared at them for a moment before he sighed and bent over to pick up the music scripts as well, giving them a slight flick before setting them down on the table and walking out of his room to the bathroom to disinfect the earrings before putting them back on again.

When he came back into his room to get started on his homework, he took out his belongings from his pockets and placed them on the table. He noticed he received a message.

Half of him hoped that it would be from a certain red head, the other half hoped it was from somebody else, Hayner maybe.

He opened the text and couldn't help but feel mildly disappointed. It was only a song.

'Listen to the second verse of 'Hero/Heroine' by 'Boys like Girls'.'

The next time he fell asleep and dreamt, the red and the green colors faded away. And when he awoke, it felt him with a feeling of dread and worry.

* * *

Roxas was starting to get use to not having Axel around. His heart was hurting less and he was able to fully concentrate back on school again, although sometimes he'd catch himself daydreaming.

His grades still weren't up to par but at least they weren't as bad as they were before. The initial shock of his parents divorcing was gone and he was sort of able to talk to Namine again. There was still a weird feeling he had whenever he did though.

Looks like they were gonna be related, of some sorts. It made him shiver to think that that they almost went out together. Who knew what kind of complicated stuffs would arise from that.

It was lunch time now, and Sora was leading them towards his art class because he accidentally left behind his art work book. There was a project that he had to do.

On the way down the corridors, passing the cross section that led to the music block, he could vaguely hear music playing, and somebody singing. He couldn't recognize the voice, but at the same time, he could.

"Well, I never saw it coming.  
I should've started running  
A long, long time ago.  
And I never thought I'd doubt you,  
I'm better off without you  
More than you, more than you know."

The smooth yet husky voice resonated through the walls and his heart and he couldn't help but draw closer.

He never noticed his brother and his friends going on ahead of him and vice versa. He saw that the door was left open, but only slightly. And as he walked closer, the voice became more distinct and he held his breath, as though if he made any sudden movements or noises, the voice would stop singing.

He peered through the slight crack between the doors and widened his eyes when he saw Axel playing on the acoustic guitar and singing while Demyx, Zexion, Xigbar and Sai'x played behind him.

He was playing on _his_ guitar…

"I'm slowly getting closure.  
I guess it's really over.  
I'm finally getting better.  
And now I'm picking up the pieces.  
I'm spending all of these years  
Putting my heart back together."

He started listening to the words he was singing, and he couldn't stop his heart from suddenly aching, he grabbed the fabric over his heart as it slowly broke.

"Well I'm putting my heart back together,  
'Cause I got over you.  
Well I got over you.  
I got over you.  
'Cause the day I thought I'd never get through,  
I got over you."

The song ended and everybody was quiet. There was no applause and everybody looked at the red head with mixed feelings, although a majority of it looked like worry.

"Roxas!"

The blond suddenly jumped from his spot when Sora called him and accidentally pushed the door opened, revealing himself to the occupants of the music room.

The group looked up in surprise, but there was only person that the blond was paying attention to.

The blond slowly turned his lips into a small frown as he looked away, shamefacedly. "Sorry…" he muttered out and ran away.

"Wait, Roxas!" Axel called out and immediately started for the blond but before he even reached the door, he stopped and realized what he's done.

The music, Roxas must've known what it meant.

'He said sorry…' Axel frowned in distaste and threw the guitar he held in his hands down to the floor, ignoring the horrible noise it made as it broke then walked out of the room.

He power walked out of the school grounds, ignoring the protests coming from the teachers as he stormed off and pulled out a packet of cigarettes he hadn't used in a long time and stuck one in his mouth. He took out the lighter that he had in the packet and tried to light up the cigarette but his fingers refused to work with him as he failed repeatedly to get the fire started.

Out of frustration, he threw the lighter, along with the cigarette box to the floor and punched the wall beside him, ignoring the pain that shot up his arm.

"Fuck." He swore as he glared at the wall. His foul mood slowly turned into one filled with regret and disappointment as he thought back to the blonds' face. "Fuck…" he swore as he covered his face with his other hand. 'Are you sorry because you intruded? Or are you sorry because of what happened between us?'

"Fuck…" he whispered out as he sank to his knees. "I'm sorry too Roxas…"

* * *

As soon as Roxas got home, he holed himself up in his room and locked the door. Ignoring his brother who tried to get him to come out and talk.

"I'm fine Sora." He insisted as he pushed the on button for the computer, "Go do your homework or read your comics or whatever." He waited impatiently as the appliance started up.

As soon as it was done, he immediately searched up the song that the red head sang. With only the memory of the lyrics to help him, he managed to find the song and downloaded it.

With his homework left forgotten in the bag that lay beside him, he listened to the song over and over again in an attempt to forget and get over Axel. But every time he listened to the song, he could only hear Axel's voice singing it.

"We're just friends right Axel?" he let out a laugh of mixed awkwardness and anxiety, "If we're just friends, then why does it hurt so much to hear you singing that song?"

He realized his mistake, "Oh wait…we _were_ friends…Maybe that's why it hurts." He stared up at the ceiling as the song played on repeat.

"Or was it because it ended before it even began?"

* * *

As soon as Axel got back to the apartment, he went straight into his room and slammed the door shut. He wasn't in the mood to put up with Reno's bullshit. He wasn't in the mood for his own bullshit.

He threw himself on his bed and rolled over so that he faced the ceiling. He furrowed his eyebrows as he thought back to the moment where he saw Roxas' face, filled with sorrow, regret, guilt.

"Fuck." He swore to himself. He couldn't shake the image away from his head, even when he shook his head and tried to think of something else.

He kept on thinking about how Roxas had tried and tried again to get him to talk again. And each and every time, he ignored Roxas.

He really should've given Roxas that second chance. He smirked miserably as he stared up at the ceiling.

There were so many should've's and could've's and what if's. He regretted not doing anything to make everything better again.

He decided that he'll do something about it tomorrow. If Roxas could do it, so could he.

He spent the rest of the day thinking of what to do to get the blond away from his friends, what he'll have to put up with to get to Roxas. What to say to him.

He didn't manage to get too far. He couldn't think up of any other scenarios other than grabbing the blond and running off with him so he could talk.

'That'll work. I'll make it work. I'll carry him if I have to.' He thought to himself with an air of determination, "I'll make it work."

The next day, with the help of a couple of accomplices, he put his half-cooked plan into initiation as soon as the bell for the end of school rang.

The red head found him hanging around with his friends around his locker, and as he drew closer to the blond, the brunet and his friends saw him and tried to lead Roxas away.

He fastened his pace and once his fingers wrapped themselves around the blonds' arm, he immediately dragged him in the direction of which he came from, away from his protesting friends.

Thankfully, Demyx and Zexion held the group back as he pulled the blond further and further away from them.

Roxas stared at the red head in shock, too afraid to say anything or fight back.

Eventually, they reached the empty spot under the tree and Axel let go of the blonds' arm.

"I wanna complain."

Roxas watched him turn around and his blue eyes widened in surprise at the red head that stood in front of him with a determined look.

"You said you'll listen for free the first time, I wanna complain." He shifted his eyes momentarily away before looking back at the blond.

Remembering what he said those few weeks ago, he slowly nodded and noticed Axel's shoulders relaxing.

He took a deep breath and started talking, "I've worked hard, very hard. Bullshit." Axel turned away for a moment and the blond jumped a little when he swore." I've worked _so_ hard to fight these feelings that I have for you just so we can stay as friends. But in the end, I still lost you."

The blond avoided his eyes after that.

"Life _fucking_ sucks. Do you know that? It fucking sucks, because I'm not with you anymore. It sucks because I don't get to phone you anymore, it sucks because I don't get to text you anymore, it sucks because I don't get to eat at Kupo Kafe with you anymore." The blond looked as though he was about to run away again.

"It sucks because I don't get to see the sunrise or the sunset with you anymore, it sucks because I don't get to eat sea salt ice cream with you anymore, it sucks because I don't get to hang around with you anymore, it sucks because I don't get to talk to you anymore. It sucks because I don't get to laugh with you anymore. Demyx misses you, the whole fucking gang misses you, Rikku misses you, _I_ miss you!" He slapped a hand over his chest were his heart should be. "I _miss_ you." He pleaded as he took a hesitant step forward.

Axel cheeks were flushed red and he panted slightly after saying all of that in almost one breath. "And do you know the worst part of life is?"

The blond didn't answer, still keeping his eyes averted.

"The worst part is that you tried to make our friendship work again and I blew it, I totally blew it. It was the opportunity I've been waiting for, for so long. _So_ damn long. And I let it slip away. I let _you_ slip away."

He saw that Roxas' shoulders were shaking.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He took another step closer to the blond, "I'm so fucking sorry." His knees buckled and he collapsed onto the soft grass. "I'm so…I'm so …" his hands grabbed a fist full of grass as he choked out and quietly cried to himself. "Sorry…" he finally whispered out those words and watched as his tears drop onto the grass.

Seconds passed, then minutes passed and he was sure that Roxas was probably gone. He didn't expect to see the blond falling to his knees in front of him. He looked up to see the blond crying as well.

"I'm sorry too." He managed out as he rested his forehead on Axel's shoulder.

Slowly, he wrapped his arms around the blond and held onto him like a life line.

* * *

Sitting on top of the car's cover, were two people who were content with eating a sea salt ice cream. Roxas had a look of disbelief while Axel looked apologetic.

The blonds' lips twitched up into a forced smile, "You…broke my guitar?"

"I'll buy you a new one!!"

"You _broke_ my guitar? _My _guitar?!"

He tried to clap his hands together in an apologetic gesture but his right hand was holding onto the half finished ice cream, "I'm sorry! I dropped it!"

"It was my favorite guitar!!!"

"It was your _only_ guitar!"

"EXACTLY!!" he shouted, frowned, scoffed and looked away, biting angrily into the ice cream that he held with his left hand and taking a huge chunk of sea salty goodness out of it.

The red head rested his hand back by his side. His hand brushed against the blonds' hand which twitched. When he tried to hold onto Roxas' hand, the blond withdrew it. Axel tried not to look hurt at the gesture.

Letting out a quiet sigh, he finished the rest of his ice cream in silence.

The blond took a deep breath and huffed, "So what? Does this make me gay?" he blond grumbled out as he bit into the sea salt ice cream and stared out at the sun that was sinking in the horizon.

Axel widened his eyes slightly at the blond whose cheeks were stained a light pink. He concluded that the blond was only embarrassed about holding hands, "Gay? Bi? Who cares?" the red head laughed as he spoke with a popsicle stick in his mouth.

The blond grumbled out in half embarrassment and displeasure about the new fact and suddenly realized something, "Hmm…you know what?" Roxas started as he took another bite out of the ice cream.

"What?"

He swallowed and raised his ice cream to his lips again, "I think I might've been bi for a while now." He spoke as he took another bite.

Axel snickered, "You've only just noticed?"

He turned to the red head and shot him a half hearted glare, "Hey, I can't help it if I'm slow."

The red head chuckled, "Ok, so, who's the guy who helped you realized?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer. It could only be two people, and he hoped he was the one.

Roxas stared up at the sky and scrutinized at it. "I think it was that guy in Good Charlotte, I saw him in that music video for 'Dance Floor Anthem' once."

"What?!" he cried out in shock and the popsicle stick fell out from his mouth, he had not been expecting that, "Which one? I'll buy a voodoo doll and kill him."

"Calm down, I was only joking." He laughed as he continued eating the ice cream.

The red head grumbled, "Which one was it though?" he asked curiously.

"The guy that looks like Zexion, now that I think about it."

"What the fuck…_that_ guy? Billy Martin?" he looked at the blond in disbelief.

"I don't know the name, but it sounds about right."

The red head let out a noise of pure disbelief, and then a scoff, and an utter of words. With the initial shock passing, Axel smirked, "You wanna know his _real_ name?"

"Er…Isn't that his _real_ name?" he quirked up an eyebrow at the red head.

"It's William Dean Martin. Sounds gay if you ask me." He shrugged with a smirk on his face.

The blond scoffed and finished the rest of his ice cream.

They sat in companionable silence and watched as the sun dip behind the horizon dyed a deep orange. A popsicle stick in their hand or on the floor.

Roxas glanced at the red head who sat beside him with a soft smile on his face. After a few moments, his eyes strayed back to the front.

For some reason, his heart was still giving out those short bursts of pain. He couldn't figure out why.

They're ok now, right?

That's what he's hoping for.

They're friends again, they're talking again, they're laughing and smiling and eating sea salt ice cream and watching the sun set together again.

But still, he couldn't help but feel hurt. For some unknown reason.

Roxas strayed his eyes away from the sunset and focused on a particular spot on the ground, his mind drifting back and forth past events.

Axel noticed the distracted look coming from the blond and couldn't help but feel worried. "Yo Roxy, something wrong?"

His ears perked up at the mention of his nickname, "Oh," he snapped his head up and smiled at the red head, "No, nothing's wrong."

The red head frowned, "Don't go hiding things from me again."

"I'm not hiding anything, I'm just thinking." He spoke honestly as he looked back to the dying sun. "About a lot of things."

"Like?" he prodded on, hoping to pry out more information from the blond, like who else he liked. He couldn't help but feel a small amount of jealousy.

"Like…" he started slowly, as though searching for the right words, "Like…how much it hurt to hear you tell me to leave you alone." He sighed and the jealousy that Axel felt was instantly extinguished. "And the time you ignored me. The times you texted me and they weren't the words I wanted to read. They weren't the songs I wanted to hear."

Axel frowned and then extended his hand toward the other, "Gimme your phone." He demanded.

"What? Why?"

"Just gimme it."

The blond furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small handheld item and gave it over to the red head who immediately started punching in some commands.

Roxas couldn't help but feel curious as to what the red head was intending to do with his phone. "What are you doing?"

"Deleting some text messages, did you know you've had some messages from over a month ago?" he smirked as he continued doing the said task. "Most of them from me too."

The blond blushed, "I've been too busy with…stuffs to delete my text messages!" he reasoned.

"Yeah, sure. Busy." He scoffed as he scooted a little closer to Roxas and showed him the steps of deleting messages, "It's easy, two pushes of a button and your inbox will be completely empty." He grinned as he held the phone over for the blond to see. "Ok maybe not two, but you get what I mean." He laughed at himself, "Anyways, you go into the menu first, and then you go on into your message folder, but not into your inbox, ya followin' me?" he asked the blond as he turned to regard the other.

"Er…yeah sure." He nodded and the red head continued talking.

"Then you scroll up until you see that thing called 'delete messages'," he smirked, "Then one, two three, your inbox is completely-" and just as he was about to delete the whole inbox, then blond quickly snatched his phone away again.

"Thanks, but I can do it myself." He added hastily as he carefully made sure he didn't push any unnecessary buttons that could lead to the end of his inbox.

"Oh…? What was with that reaction huh?" he smirked mischievously as he leaned in a little closer to the blond who had pocketed his phone back.

"Nothing, I just don't want you to err…" He quickly thought up of a lie. "Accidentally delete my unread messages."

"You didn't have any," he pointed out, "And besides, most of your recent messages are from me anyways." He smirked, "What are you hiding from me, hm?" he grinned as he leaned in closer and the blond tried to inch away. "Messages from Namine?" he joked.

"No and it's none of your business." He frowned and turned away.

Axel hung his head and sighed, "Ok, ok. I know when I'm being too nosy. I was only trying to delete the crappy messages that I sent you." He reasoned as he faced the other way. "I don't even know why you kept them in your inbox. I figured you would've deleted everything by now."

The blond let out a small, low rumble from his throat, "Yeah well…I was still trying to figure out something."

"And what would that be?" he turned to look at the blond.

"Why…" he started slowly, still trying to piece together the words that wanted to come out of his mouth in a sensible order of words. "Why I missed being around you even though it hurt to think about you."

Then Roxas cried out in aggravation, "I don't even know what I'm saying!!"

The red head merely laughed, "No, I get where you're getting at. But do _you_ know what you're talking about?"

"No…" he huffed as he folded his arms and frowned at Axel, "What does it mean." He demanded half heartedly.

The red head merely brought his hand up to his mouth and cleared his throat before turning to the blond with a smirk on his face then singing out, "You think I'm handsome, you wanna kiss me, you wanna date me, love me and be with me." He almost started laughing halfway through the song when Roxas' face suddenly mixed in very nicely with the shade from the setting sun.

"J-jerk!" he stuttered out and threw the popsicle stick at him. "You make up the weirdest junk ever." He scowled as he tried to fight down the horrible blush that spread over to face and made his ears feel unbearably hot.

"Hey, I'm just saying the truth." He shrugged as he flicked the stick that fell on his pants onto the floor. "Well, more like singing it out."

Roxas scoffed.

"Anyways," the red head quickly changed the subject as he turned his head back to face the sinking sun, "Here's to our seventh anniversary that we missed."

"Yeah, yeah. Seventh…" he mumbled out as he avoided staring at Axel.

"We've got three more to go."

"So what are you saying? We're gonna keep coming back here everyday until we've made up for all the ones we've missed?"

"Exactly! Good to know we're on the same wave length."

"Don't flatter yourself." He scoffed while the red head feigned hurt before laughing it off.

They made up on a Wednesday afternoon.

As soon as he calmed down, he whipped out his phone from the pocket of his pants and immediately started pushing in a few commands into the handheld device.

Roxas didn't bother to ask what he was doing but as soon as the red head pocketed his phone back, the blonds' one immediately started vibrating. He wondered if it was just coincidence, or something else.

"Did you just send me a text?" he asked as he took out his phone and looked at the words '1 New Message' on the main screen.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." he smirked while the blond merely scoffed.

"Yeah, you sent me a text." He shook his head as he pushed the button to bring up the message and read it. "The Great Escape by Boys like Girls?"

"Yup, it's a nice song, I figured you might want it." he grinned.

"You could've just told me you know…" he scowled half heartedly.

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" he reasoned with a smirk on his face.

After school the next day, Axel brought the blond over to watch their next sunset together, and each of them had a half eaten sea salt ice cream in hand.

"You know what?" the red head started as he stared at the blue treat in front of him.

"What." Roxas asked as he took another bite out of his ice cream.

"I think I'm really starting to get use to this." He spoke as licked the side of the ice cream to stop it from dripping onto his hand.

"Weren't you already used to that taste weeks ago?"

"Yeah, but I use to cringe on the first bite." He shuddered just to prove his point.

"Ok, whatever." He shook his head as he sighed into his ice cream, melting it just a little, "Happy eighth week anniversary."

"We've got two more to go."

"We missed four."

"Yeah, it sucked."

"I miss doing this."

"I miss being around you more." He suddenly let it slip and visibly blanched. "Err…you know what I mean right?" he laughed awkwardly, 'Oh shit, I just screwed it up didn't I?' he thought to himself as he avoided looking at the blond.

"Yeah well…I missed you too." His cheeks were flushed in embarrassment as he spoke.

Axel let out a quiet sigh of contentment.

Roxas kept recalling the event that happened yesterday and his mind couldn't help but repeat the words that were said to him over and over again like a broken record.

'…_these feelings that I have for you…'_

'_I _miss_ you.'_

'_I let _you_ slip away.'_

He finally swallowed his nerves along with the rest of his ice cream and forced his voice to work.

"Hey Axel…?"

"Yeah?" the said person turned his head towards the blond and was caught off guard when shy lips met with his. It was a fleeting moment, a small bit of contact and it left Axel wondering if what happened, really _did_ happen. Roxas already had his head back to the front facing the ground.

"Hey, hey, hey, wait, hold on, what was that?" the red head chuckled as he watched the blonds' cheeks turn red.

Roxas mumbled out something from under his breath and the red head strained his ears to hear properly.

"Could you repeat that?" he asked with a smile as he leaned closer to the blond.

"Think whatever you want of it…" he spoke quietly and with a hint of awkwardness.

"Well, whatever it was, _that_ was _not_ a kiss." He was trying very hard not to full-out laugh right there.

"Yes it was." His voice was stronger now, but it was still shy and timid.

"No it wasn't. I hardly call a faint pressing of the lips a kiss."

"That's what a kiss is, you moron." He looked away from the red head in embarrassment.

'And here I've always thought _I'd_ make the first move.' He smirked as he shook his head and shifted his position so that one leg was resting on the top of the hood of his car, "Come on, look at me." He spoke as he reached up to the blonds' cheek and gently turned his head to face him.

"No." Roxas raised his hand and pushed Axel's hand away.

"Look at me." He reached up with his other hand, a smile on his face.

"No." he jerked his chin away from the red head's hold.

"Why?"

"Because it's embarrassing…" he whined a little.

Axel hopped off the car and stood in front of the blond, a hand placed on each side of him on top of the car's hood. It took a while for Roxas to turn to the red head.

"Gotta make the first kiss count right?" he smiled as he leaned closer.

He brought their lips together for a second time. Roxas' timid and unmoving lips with Axel's gentle lips, curved up in a smile.

When their lips parted, it left the blond speechless.

"How was that for your first kiss?" the red head asked as he lowered his head slightly to look into the blonds' blue eyes. "It's not much though, that I can guarantee." He smirked.

"Um…It was…good…" he felt his face go unbearably warm as he answered the question. He swore that Axel was doing it just to make him embarrassed.

"Just good?" he scoffed, "Dude, I don't want just good."

"What do you want then?" he retorted almost angrily.

"I want great, or awesome, or fantastic." He smirked as leaned in closer, "Come on man, your first kiss and that's what you think? You're ruining my ego here." He chuckled.

"…It was…nice." He finished quietly, his eyes softening at the mere memory of it.

"I can settle for nice." He smiled as he closed the distance between them and kissed again, "This is for our eighth week anniversary," and again, "Our ninth anniversary," and again, Roxas couldn't help but smile into the kiss, "And our-"

"Tenth." They finished together, each with a smile on their faces.

They shared their first kiss, and their second, and their third, fourth, and fifth while watching the sun set on a Thursday afternoon.

"You taste like sea salt ice cream by the way." Axel commented with a wide grin on his face.

Roxas looked about as red as a tomato.

* * *

_Again, he didn't remember when he fell asleep. He concluded it might've been somewhere between the ride back to his house or something._

_He wondered when these dreams will stop._

_He was in the middle of drawing in a breath when suddenly, he felt he wasn't alone. His whole body tensed and he slowly turned around to see who or what it was._

_He let out a short sigh of relief. It was just that haze of colors again._

_It started out with four colors, now it's just two. He briefly wondered what it meant._

'_No wait…If I count back to that time when it all started, the red and the green were there first.' He remembered as he stared at the colors that continuously shifted around in an agitated fashion. _

_After a bit of watching, he noticed that the colors were slowly starting to take the shape of a person. _

'_Hello Roxas.' It spoke to him._

_He almost jumped a step back, "…X?" He could almost see who it was._

'_No. Guess again.' He could see a smile._

"…_Axel…?" he sounded unsure himself. _

_Last time he checked, Axel didn't have blond hair._

"_Nope, I'm not Axel," the blonds' eyes widened further as the figure appeared in front of him, "I'm you."_

_The blond was left speechless, looking into an exact mirror replica of himself. He laughed at himself and wondered if this was a dream and promptly smacked his forehead. "…Oh yeah, this just gets weirder and weirder." He considered pinching himself to wake up._

_He shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe it's your subconscious calling out to you."  
_

_He tentatively extended a hand towards the other and gave a firm poke, "Why would I wanna do that?"_

_He smacked the hand away after it tried jabbing him again, "Maybe it's just your way of telling you to help yourself."_

_He didn't sound too convinced, for all he knew, this 'guy' could suddenly turn psycho and try to choke him like that other one did, "…Right…"_

"_Think of it this way, you were lost and confused."_

"_I wasn't." he denied with a slight pout of the lips._

"_In reality maybe not, but in here, you're like a little lost sheep looking for his shepherd." He brought his hands up and made his finger go away in a scurrying motion._

"_Oh…k…you're comparing me to a farm animal." He felt like he was just insulted. "Why are you really here?"_

"_To talk to you. To help you understand."_

"_About?"_

"_Anything and everything."_

"_Ok, so my dreams, are related to my life in the real world?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Even the dream about…me over hearing stuffs?"_

"_Yes." He gave a curt nod._

"_What do they mean?"_

"_Maybe without realizing, the both of you were already connected by a series of events prior to your first meeting."_

"_Ok, we're talking about Axel right?"_

"_Of course."_

"_What's Axel got to do with anything?"_

"_He's got something to do with everything."_

_Roxas laughed and changed the subject, "Ok, so what about my dream about the bandage?"_

"_Those were your fears and your anxieties, taking control. You were afraid of doing something wrong, and you were worried of what other people would think about you, you were afraid of losing the people you love."_

_He nodded as the other spoke, "I guess…that kind of make sense."_

"_I always make sense."_

"_Yeah…and I'm talking to myself…that's great. That's just great." He scoffed as he looked away for a moment then snapped his head back to his other, "But hold on, you sounded like Axel and I thought you _were_ Axel, kind of…" he trailed off._

"_That's because he was pretty much the root of your problems." He laughed, "In a way, you _wanted_ me to be Axel."_

"_Ok great, just brilliant." He remained silent for a while, trying to think up of some other things to say or ask. "Did you really have amnesia?" it sounded ridiculous in his head. Asking that kind of question._

"_I…don't know. For sure anyways, it's like…I was there for a reason, but I didn't know what. But as soon as you came into terms with who you are, I guess I kind of remembered everything."_

"_Right…" he felt a headache coming. This was too much to go through in one dream. "I'm not sure if you're pulling my leg or not, but what about those times you I couldn't hear you."_

"_Sometimes, you don't hear me because you're too caught up with what's in front of you and you never listen to anything else. You never listen to reason."_

"_So, you're saying that I don't pay attention to my surroundings?"_

"_Have you been paying attention to your surroundings?"_

_He pursed his lips together and let out a low rumble from his throat, "…I guess not…"_

_They stood facing each other in silence, either waiting to be asked a question, or trying to think up of a question, "Was that dream about the marble related to this dream in any way?"_

"_The marble?" confusion crossed his features for a brief moment, "Oh, yeah, the marbles symbolizes the bonds that you made with your friends. And the more you changed, the more you drifted away from them. And somewhere along the way, you tried to make everybody conform to you. In the end, it led to your demise."_

"_Oh great, I tried to kill myself because I was being too normal." He snorted in disbelief._

"_No such thing as normality my friend."_

"_You sounded like Axel just now…" he pointed out. _

"_He's influenced you a lot."_

_Again he scoffed and thought up of something else from his other dreams, "You tried to disappear a few times…"_

_The other sensed the drastic change in mood and found his smile slowly slipping off his face, "Yeah…I guess I did."_

"_Why? What would happen if you did?"_

"_Then I guess, you'll be a horrible wreck and your life would be in shambles."_

"_That's…reassuring…" he was amazed he could still use so much sarcasm in his dream, "So what now?"_

"_Well now, we say goodbye."_

"_You're leaving? What if I have a nervous breakdown or something?!"_

_He laughed, "You don't need me anymore."_

"_I don't?"_

"_No, you've got your questions answered."_

"_I answered my own questions, that's just brilliant." He waved the comment off._

"_See ya Roxas." He waved as he slowly faded away._

_Roxas couldn't help but feel a little sad, but he slowly felt his shoulders growing lighter, as though a burden was lifted from them._

_Looks like he got his wish for not having these dreams anymore.

* * *

_

He woke up and let out a soft sigh. The red head glanced at the blond and smiled, "Good dream?" Axel asked as he continued driving towards the blonds' house.

It took a while for Roxas to answer but when he did, he had a smile on his face, "Yeah, it was good." He spoke as he readjusted himself on the car seat.

"Cool. Don't want me scaring the begeezuz out of you again." He laughed at the memory.

Roxas snorted as he looked out the window at the passing houses and scenery. They were getting closer to his house. "Hey Axel."

"Hm?"

"Wanna come in and meet my mum?"

Axel almost pushed the brake pedal but ended up swerving just slightly. Roxas had his arms outstretched in front of him for support. A look of shock and disbelief on his face.

"Geez Roxas. Don't scare me like that." He let out a nervous laugh, "Besides, isn't it a bit early for me to meet her?" he felt his t-shirt getting tighter around his neck and he reached up to pull at the hem.

The blond let out a shaky breath as allowed his hands to fall back down to his sides, completely awake and the feeling of adrenaline slowly passing.

He ran his fingers through his blond hair and turned to the red head. "I never thought that would get such a big reaction from you." He tried to joke.

Axel wasn't laughing.

In fact, he looked a little shifty. As though as soon as Roxas gets out of the car, he'd drive off before he even got to close the door.

"I don't wanna hide this from my mum." he reasoned as he sunk into the car seat.

"A little hiding doesn't hurt anyone." He tried to laugh but it sounded awkward.

"I don't know if I can handle hiding this from her…" he spoke quietly as he looked outside the window, his house was just around the corner.

"What if she doesn't approve?" the red head furrowed his eyebrows in worry as he concentrated on the road, decreasing his speed to prolong the time they arrive.

Roxas smiled sadly, "If she doesn't approve, then I'm sorry."

Axel pulled a stop in front of the blonds' house and let out a quiet sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair. He buried his face in his hands and managed to give a mumbled reply, "I don't wanna go in."

"But you'll feel better if she says it's ok right?" he tried to sound hopeful.

"Yeah, but…I hate to ask and all…" he sighed into his hands and allowed them to fall onto his legs, "But what's the chance of that?"

"Would you rather me go around with a guilty conscience?"

"No…But…we just started and you want it to end so soon?"

"I…" it's true that the whole relationship just started, but he wasn't even sure if he could call it a real relationship yet. "I don't want it to finish, but…I just can't hide this from her. You understand right?"

Axel grumbled as he looked out the window, "…Reluctantly."

Roxas made no move to leave, and chose to stay until they've made up their mind.

The red head sighed again and finally asked, "Do we have to tell her so soon?"

Roxas has been debating ever since he brought up the topic, and the more he thought about it, the more conflicted he felt.

He wanted to say no, just in case maybe he was a little way in over his head about the whole 'bi' thing. But at the same time, he though that if she knew, and she said yes, then he'll feel so much better about the whole situation.

'No…I don't want to be like my dad.' He concluded as he turned to the red head with resolution in his eyes, "Yeah, I wanna tell her. I don't want to hide this from her.

The red head widened his eyes a little in surprise, he had never seen the blond so determined before. Especially about something like this.

Axel scoffed and turned away, "Fine, if you wanna get this over and done with so quickly, go right on ahead."

The blond furrowed his eyebrows in worry, "Wait, I didn't mean it that-" he stopped when the red head reached out and started messing his hair up.

"I know." He smiled as he soften his gaze on the blond, he let out a soft sigh, "Let's go meet the parents." He shivered reluctantly and Roxas laughed.

"Just one of them, don't worry." He smiled as he got out of the car after the red head, his messenger bag slung back over his head on his shoulder.

"Yeah…that really makes me feel better." He gave an awkward smile as he closed the door and locked the car with a push of the button.

* * *

Hate me? I'm sure you do…(Cries and sulks in a corner) I feel so shitty about this chapter…The next story will be better! I SWEAR! (Hopefully…) But really, don't get your hopes up too much, ok? 


	60. Changes

This is the last chapter. Comprende? Sucks huh? Lols, don't worry though. You can always expect something new from me.

Oh yeah, **Happy 60th chapter anniversary** everybody!! Woot, woot!

**delayed-reaction** – Aww, thank you for saying so! I was sort of disappointed by it all, especially all the crappy dreams and stuffs…  
**soraslilangel** – Aww…What do you mean second to last time you review? As in, for this chapter or forever? (Cries)  
**Colonel Roxas-chan** – Oh the anxiety! Roxas' mum a Christian mother and divorced, there's bound to be some sort of resentment or attachment! We'll see though. Don't wanna spoil it for you.  
**mornir-brightflame** – Aw! I'm so happy you liked the dreams! I really sort of hated not explaining them before, but I wanted to let it all be known at a certain point but after I got to that part I thought, 'oh shit, well this ain't gonna work.' But I ended up going with it anyways, but yeah! I'm glad you liked it! And well, a little drama for the boys is always good right? Heh…  
**hunted-snark** – Lols, I apologize for making you wait. Maybe the next story will be faster eh?  
**Kiki Lelsissia** – Lols, I did not give Roxas' and Sora's mother a name…I thought I should but I figured, meh, nobody would care. Lols, so I left it out. And yes, 59 chapters, 10 weeks, they're almost together, almost.  
**Crazydrawinggirl** – Yes, and Axel's not happy about that.  
**Darkest Soul of Sadness** – Lols, finally huh? That's about 10 weeks, or maybe 2 plus months. More or less. Do you really wanna count the three weeks they had a fight about?  
**Pirate-Chic** – Lols, I'm still thinking about that sequel. We'll see, if my mind is up to it, it might think up of more ideas for this silly story.  
**Launch shinra** – Aww…I really feel sad this is the last chapter, but it must be done. Forgive me! But I really like Zex and Dem for helping Axel out, God knows he needs it. It's like, now or never!! Rawrs! But yeah, it's not that I hate Hayner, he's just fun to mess with.  
**WGreyB** – Ah, Jesse was just being his normal self, you know? Glad you like the chapter though!  
**Nierx-chan** – Sort of, lols. Maybe everything will be ok by the end of this last chapter.  
**XIII-Sunshine-XIII** – Gasp, another fan-art? O M G, that is like totally awesome! And Roxas looks totally smexy…Haha, I hope Axel doesn't kill me for that one.  
**Leixra** – Will Jesse make another appearance? You shall find out soon my friend!  
**pride1289** – This is the last chapter my friend! I'm so sorry, but I hope to hear from you again.  
**Shadow of Darkness 22** – Lols, you'll see soon enough. But yeah, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! (and even cried for it)  
**401** – Lols, exact-ta-mundo! I love reading stories, it just depends on my mood whether I'm picky on how it's written or not. Lols.  
**Malik's Bunny Mika** – Omg, yes, everybody's so freaked out about that! More or less. Lols. It's funny.  
**Kaja** – Omg chocolate!!! Yummy, lols. I'm happy that things got better for those two, but it might get worse. Might.  
**sakura's conscience** – Woah…what took me months to write only took you only 2-3 days to read? I feel…um…yeah, ashamed of myself, lols!  
**AnimeDragonofFire** – OH! Really? I'm happy I helped you! (Grins)  
**Neko Phoenix Girl** – Lols, thanks so much! I'm very happy that you've enjoyed reading my story even though I was so frustrated with it tons of times. And I'm glad that you like the songs that Axel and Roxas traded. Lols. Thanks for reading and reviewing!  
**PaopuTheif** – Lols, oh the pressure! (Falls off chair due to gravity increasing) Lols, just joking!  
**Blaze Moonlight** – Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed reading it even though I was frustrated with it a few times. Lols.  
**Plain Jane Is A Vampire** – (Cries) But that's what you call a cliffhanger! (Cries)  
**DarkEmoKitty** – Lols, really? You think so? Aww, I'm so happy you feel that way!  
**Naunen** – Aww, that's fine! I'm so happy that you think my story has a lot of detail (although it has very little planning) Lols, (grins)

* * *

With every step Axel took closer to Roxas' house, he felt his palms accumulate sweat. He felt his body shake with adrenaline. He felt his mind buzz with the possible questions that might be shot at him. He felt himself growing more and more worried about what the blonds' mother would think about him.

'Would she say yes?'

'Do I look ok?'

'Am I good enough?'

Axel felt his heart skip a beat as Roxas withdrew his keys from his pocket and stuck it into the lock of the door.

He held his breath as Roxas opened the door to the house and stepped inside, calling out to his mother and taking off his bag and letting it sit on the stairs.

His mother called back with a cheerful voice, "Roxas, welcome home." She looked up from her cook book magazine and smiled at the said person. "Hello, Roxas' friend." She laughed a little and waved at the red head.

"Hey mum." His smile faltered as he stopped mid-way into the living room, "There's…" he paused, a small bit of hesitation filling his heart, "There's something I need to tell you." He shuffled his weight from one foot to another, the dread and anxiety building up in his chest. His determination was shot down the drain when he remembered the subject and topic at hand.

She immediately stood up from her seat and walked over to her son, "What is it Roxas? Is there something wrong?" She bent down slightly, reached for the blonds' face with both hands and looked at him. "Are you hurt? Do you feel sick?"

"Nothing's wrong mum…not yet at least." He avoided her eyes, the guilt of liking somebody of the same sex slowly eating away at him.

"What is it Roxas? You're worrying me." She furrowed her eyebrows in worry.

He reached up and held onto her hands, slowly lowering them back down, "Maybe…you should sit down?" He suggested, worried for his mother who might actually fall over backwards and faint.

She looked at he son with worry and fear in her blue eyes but slowly, she complied and sat back down at the dining table.

"I um…" his words were suddenly stuck in his throat and he couldn't bear to look at his mother as the words he wanted to say passed his mind, "The thing is…I'm…" he couldn't force his voice to work with him anymore.

'I can't do this, I can't do this.' He furrowed his eyebrows in slight aggravation before he drew in a breath and held it. The red head finally walked up and stood by him after looming around the entrance of the house.

'No wait, I can do this.' He repeated in his head to give himself more courage, 'I can do this.' It took a while before he swallowed his nerves, sighed out slowly and quietly then inched his own hand towards Axel's and held onto it firmly. The red head squeezed his hand in reassurance.

'This is the part where actions are better than words.' Roxas thought to himself as he finally brought his own blues eyes up to meet his mother's.

She widened her eyes slightly and watched as her son held onto the red head's hand, looking from one boy to another. As she closed her eyes, she covered her mouth with one hand.

Roxas immediately felt his whole world crumble down again and felt that this was a horrible idea. She wasn't ready to know yet. She's still getting over the divorce.

He was just about to let go of Axel's hand and run over to her, maybe tell her it was a belated April Fools ' Day joke or something until she lowered her hand back down and smiled.

She looked at him with kind blue eyes of understanding, "As long as you're happy Roxas, I don't mind."

He felt his words get stuck in his throat as his eyes widened in shock. "You…don't mind?" He managed to mutter out.

"Of course not dear. We're in a world full of constant change."

Roxas smiled in relief and almost laughed.

After a short moment of silence where the acceptance had finally sunken into his mind, did he speak, "Mum?"

"Yes dear?" She felt relieved now. Her son wasn't dying or in trouble. It was just a matter of the heart.

He let go of Axel's hand and walked towards his mother and reached out for a hug. "Thank you…" he muttered out as he let out a sigh of mixed relief and happiness.

Axel couldn't help but smile. He couldn't help but feel so much better now that their relationship is approved of. He couldn't help but wonder if he'll have to start calling Roxas' mother 'Ma' or 'Mum' now. He almost laughed out loud but managed to hold it back.

* * *

The first person Roxas told was Sora who told Riku and Kairi, who told Namine. The blonde girl merely giggled as though she had expected it to happen all along.

After that, Roxas told Hayner, Pence and Olette.

Pence and Olette seemed ok by the situation and offered their support. Hayner looked pissed because his best friend turned gay for someone else.

The dirty haired blond looked as though he was cheated out of something.

Hayner scoffed, folded his arms and avoided eye contact, "Whatever, you weren't my type anyway."

Roxas laughed his head off, as did Pence and Olette.

The first person or people Axel told were his group of friends, and they all replied with either, 'Good on ya.' or 'About time.'

There was a snort here, a roll of the eyes there, a look of disbelief somewhere else. Something like that.

The only person who seemed ecstatic about it was Demyx. Good ol' Demyx.

But then again, he was ecstatic about almost every piece of good news that you throw at him.

Roxas and Axel couldn't bear to be apart now that they were officially together.

Well, it was more like Axel couldn't bear to leave Roxas alone. So whenever the blond was gonna go off and spend time with his own group of friends, the red head insisted that he follow.

"Hayner's not gonna like you." Roxas spoke as he tried to bat away the hand that tried to sneak around his waist. "Wait, scratch that, he _doesn't_ like you."

"Well…it's about time he gets use to me. 'Cause I ain't gonna let you out of my sight."

"I'm sure you have an ulterior motive somewhere in that head of yours." He spoke as he walked down the corridors of the school towards the cafeteria where his friends hang out most of the time.

Axel laughed as he followed the blond, "You're right. You might fall in love with that emo-hater."

"I never knew you were so possessive." He rolled his eyes.

"I like to keep what's mine close to me."

Roxas scoffed and pushed through the double doors that led into the main part of the school for social activities. He spotted his friends sitting at a table.

Some waved, some smirked, some giggled. One of them scowled. Roxas tried not to laugh as he sat down next to his brother and the red head sat down right next to him across a certain dirty haired blond.

They all carried out a normal conversation. Talking about book reports here, assignments there, what to do in the weekend, what new games are coming out, the new ice cream parlor that opened up two streets away from their school.

Midway through their interval break, a certain group of people came up to them with sneers and smirks and a look of indifference.

"Oh man, the world is turning gay." The beanie wearing boy smirked as he folded his arms and regarded the group.

Hayner glared daggers at the other boy.

"I've always thought that Roxas was the most normal of the bunch," he shrugged, "Guess I was wrong huh? Turns out you're gay too."

Axel scowled and almost stood up so he could beat the crap out of the smaller blond when somebody got to him before he was half way to standing up.

"Shut the fuck up Seifer," the dirty haired blond stood up and immediately grabbed the collar of the other boy's jacket and dragged him away.

Ria and Fuu was about to follow when Seifer threw them a look that told them to stay away. They shrugged and obediently stayed behind.

Once they were out of ear shot, Hayner let go of the blonds' collar and watched as the other boy straightened his clothes out, "You're gay yourself, so what the fuck are _you_ on about?"

"Geez Hayner, do you have to be so blunt?" he scowled as he shot the other a glare.

"I'm a blunt guy." He shrugged as he looked away, making sure that nobody was close though to hear and making sure nobody followed them.

"Yeah, blunt guy with a sharp tongue." He smirked.

"Only you would know." He blushed as he folded his arms.

Seifer let out a chuckle, "So, after school. Arcade?"

"Sure, I'll kick your ass in Tekken Tag."

"As if you could ever beat me." He smirked as he walked away and motioned for Fuu and Rai to follow. "See ya."

"Whatever." He scowled and walked back to his own friends who regarded him suspiciously.

"What was that about?" Sora quirked up an eyebrow and smirked at Hayner.

"It was about time I told him to buzz off and leave us alone." He lied as he sat down with a huff.

"You were being awfully friendly towards him though." The brunette girl giggled behind her hand, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you guys were a couple."

The dirty haired blond boy blushed, "Don't-Don't say stupid things like that Olette."

"Did you just stutter?" the headband wearing boy grinned.

"Of course not, your ears are playing tricks on you." He scoffed as he turned away from the group.

"I guess you were right when you said I wasn't your type." Roxas laughed while Hayner tried to fight the blush that adorned his cheeks.

"Damn right I'm right." He retorted with a huff.

The bell to signal the end of interval sounded and they stood up to head to their next class.

"Hayner." Roxas called out before the said person disappeared from view. He turned back to the red head before walking over to the said person, "Wait for me for a sec ok?" Axel nodded and stuck his hands into his pockets.

Once the blond walked up to the other boy, he raised a hand in a small wave, "Sup."

"Hey, I just wanna say I'm happy for you." Roxas tried not to laugh when he took in the slight blush across the other boy's cheeks.

"Yeah, well…" he looked away and scratched his cheek, "I'm happy for you too."

"Thanks."

"If, you know," he shrugged, "If that emo ever makes you sad or whatever…Just tell me about it and me and Seifer can beat him up for you." He offered all the while avoiding the blonds' blue eyes.

Roxas laughed, "Ok, I'll keep that in mind."

Hayner brought his thumb up to his nose and brushed it, "Yeah, see you later." He gave a small wave and walked towards his next class.

The blond waved at the other and a hand drooped over his shoulder, "What did he say?"

"He said he'll wait for me forever and ever." He smirked as he started walking to their third period class.

"What?! I thought he's got a thing for that Seifer guy." He cried out in shock, keeping a firmer grip on the blonds' shoulder.

Roxas turned his head to Axel and looked at him blankly, "I was joking you idiot." He spoke with a quirk of the eyebrow.

"Oh," he laughed, "Yeah well, I'm a cute idiot right?"

The blond snorted, "Yeah sure, whatever you wanna think."

"Hey come on Roxy, admit it."

"No, now get your hand away from my shoulder." He spoke as he brushed the hand away.

They went to the music room during lunch time for their music session. Axel and Demyx paired up for an acoustic guitar piece.

Demyx sang in a slightly higher pitch and in a different melody and tune. But he synced his voice perfectly to Axel's.

"I was born to tell you I love you,  
Isn't that a song already?  
I get a B in originality." Axel couldn't help but smile as he sang while Roxas laughed.

"And it's true I can't go on without you,  
Your smile makes me see clearer,  
If you could only see in the mirror what I see."

They had to change a particular word in the lyrics for it to fit. But apart from that, the whole song was perfect.

When the song ended, the red head managed to steal a kiss from the blond before they continued on for another piece.

Roxas' cheeks were colored a pretty pink and the dirty haired blond couldn't help but giggle behind his hand.

On first period Friday morning during P.E class while they were getting change, Axel gave Roxas a light smack on the butt, which made the blond jump up and yell out in shock.

The red head laughed while Roxas gave him a half hearted glare and the other male students stared at them.

On Saturday, after eating a round of sea salt ice cream in celebration of their eleventh week anniversary of friendship, they went over to Axel's house and spent the whole day watching nothing but Disney movies. They threw in The Nightmare before Christmas into the mix as well.

"So, have you found your favorite Disney movie yet?" Axel asked on the way back to Roxas' house.

"Treasure planet was cool. But I think the Nightmare before Christmas is the best. I never knew it was a Disney movie."

"Me neither. I've always thought it was by Tim Burton." He chuckled as he turned the corner down into Roxas' street.

"Well, he _is_ the guy who made it though." He reasoned with a slight shrug. "Touchstone made it first, then Disney came in with better graphics and animation."

"Yeah." He pulled a stopped in front of the blonds' house and pulled the clutch for the brakes. "So, what're we doing tomorrow?"

"What do you wanna do?"

"I dunno," he shrugged as he stared at the red head.

"Oh, I'll buy you another guitar tomorrow."

Roxas felt his lips turn up into a smile, "You don't have to."

"I want to." He was about to lean down for a kiss when he spotted a certain brunet boy smirking and smiling at them from the front door. "We've got company." He grinned and he waved at the other boy.

"Err…" he turned around and spotted Sora, "Oh, ok." He laughed and reached for the door, "I'll see you tomorrow right?"

"Of course." He grinned as the blond got out of the car, waved, closed the door then walked over to his giggling brother.

The next few days passed by normally, with the exception of a kiss here and there.

Come Wednesday though, Axel had been keeping his distance with the blond. Nobody really had any idea why.

Axel didn't come see him first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee in hand, he kept to himself during classes, he stayed with his own group of friends during interval and didn't follow Roxas when he said he was gonna go hang out with Sora and the others for interval break.

When lunch time came and as soon as they reached to the spot under the tree, Axel immediately darted off towards the dirty haired blond and engaged him in conversation and left the blond by his lonesome.

Roxas was starting to wonder if it was something he did today, or yesterday, or the day before yesterday. But every time he thought back, he couldn't really find anything wrong.

In fact, everything between them was fine up until today.

So…did the red head suddenly fall out of love with him?

Roxas couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of hurt from his heart.

"Hey." He walked up to the red head who was in the middle of telling something funny to Demyx. "I'll go see Sora for a bit ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Don't have to come up and tell me though." He laughed, not even looking in his direction.

"Right." He replied and walked off. His shoulders heavy with burden and his steps weighed down.

He sat down with a huff on the cafeteria bench next to his friends who immediately stopped their conversations.

"Hey Roxas, it's rare for you to hang out with us during lunch." Sora pointed out as he drank his chocolate milk from the carton.

"Yeah, well…" he trailed off, not quite in the mood to talk.

He should've gone to the library instead.

"Is there something going on with you and Axel?" the brunette girl asked as she furrowed her eyebrows in worry.

"Heck if I knew." He shrugged and decided to get up. "I remembered that I left something behind under the tree. See you guys later." He waved and walked away towards a different location than what he had stated.

They watched in worry as Roxas walked away from them. They couldn't help but wonder if the blond and the red head got into an argument.

The red head appeared some minutes later with a grin on his face. "Hey guys, have you seen Roxy?"

They glowered at him and he took a step back when he felt their aura of anger.

"He went back to pick something up from under the tree." Sora spoke offhandedly as he viciously tore into his ham and cheese sandwich.

"Really? Are you sure? I didn't see him on the way here so I figured that he was with you guys." He reasoned as he started looking around for a certain blond.

"Did you guys get into a fight?" a sandy haired blond boy spoke with a glare.

"Fight? Me and Roxy? No." he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he stared at the group. "Why?"

"He seemed rather depressed." The brunette girl brought up as she changed her expression from anger to worry.

"Oh." Axel strayed his eyes away, looking somewhat ashamed, "I'll go find him." He moved away and was about to run out of the cafeteria when someone called out to him.

"Try the library!" Sora offered as he stood up from the bench.

"Try that spot behind the science building, nobody ever goes there." Hayner suggested with a slight scowl.

"Yeah," the brunet agreed, "Me and Roxas use to hang around there for a while."

"Ok," he gave them a thumbs up, "Thanks a bunch!" he grinned as he ran as fast as his legs could carry towards the library.

Once he got inside, he tried to control his breathing pattern as he looked around the place while trying to catch his breath. There was no blond hair in sight but he went around the library at least twice before deeming that the blond was indeed not there.

He let out a huff as he ran towards the science building, stormed out the double doors, almost knocking somebody over at the same time and ran onto the grassy area.

He spotted the blond sitting down on the ledge, leaning back on the wall with his eyes closed.

The red head furrowed his eyebrows and took in a deep breath before walking over towards the blond.

He gently kicked his shoes and the blond opened his eyes.

Roxas sat forward immediately and looked up at the red head, his heart feeling a mixture of joy and betrayal.

"Hey." The blond greeted as normally as possible.

"I've been looking for you."

There it was again, that twinge of slight hurt and happiness. "Oh, what for?" his heart hurt to ask that question.

"Do you know what day it is today?"

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows, "It's Thursday." he replied curtly.

"Yes. And?" he expected the blond to continue.

"What?" he snapped a little.

"Come on Roxy, use that head of yours." The red head tapped his forehead as he smirked.

The blond scoffed and looked away, 'Thursday, what's so special about-' he slowly widened his eyes in realization.

"Yeah, finally figured it out huh?" he smiled as he sat by the blond and rummaged around his book bag for something.

The blond watched the red head with mixed feelings of guilt and interest.

"Here," he handed the blond a box, "Happy one week anniversary."

"That's…" he stared at the box that Axel held out, "That's not a ring is it?" he recoiled slightly.

The thought of commitment scared the crap out of him.

Axel laughed and shoved the box towards the blond, "Open it and you'll find out."

Roxas swallowed as he looked at the dark blue velvet box in his hands. He felt his eye twitch.

'Maybe there's nothing inside,' He tried to convince himself, 'Yeah, maybe he's just joking and he's trying to scare me…yeah.' He sucked in a breath and held it and he slowly moved to open the box.

The blond relaxed his features as he stared at the contents of the box.

Suddenly, he felt stupid for ever doubting Axel.

Inside was a pair of silver earrings, the exact same shape and size of the tattoos on the red head's face.

"Do you like it?"

Roxas tore his eyes away and looked up at the red head who seemed hopeful then looked back down at the gift, "Yeah, I like it."

"Good," he let out a noise of relief, "For a second there, I thought you hated it." he laughed as he leaned back on the wall.

"I didn't get you anything though." He suddenly felt ashamed.

"As long as you're with me, I don't need anything else." He smiled as he leaned closer to the blond until their noses touch. "You're all I need to live and breathe." He whispered softly as he reached up with one hand and traced the bottom of Roxas' jaw.

The blond smiled, "Did you get that from a song?"

Axel let out a soft chuckle, "Yeah, something like that."

After school as soon as they dropped some things off and picked something up, they decided to hang around the city center. They walked around, looked through shops, and grabbed a bite to eat at some Japanese joint. Sushi was getting over-rated.

Not to mention expensive.

They stayed at the city for a while, and it wasn't because Roxas wanted to look around for something to give to the red head, of course not.

He was more subtle than that. Or at least, that's what he wanted to think.

Just as they came out of a shop and walked towards another, Axel spotted somebody he hadn't expected to see.

He quickly tried to enter another shop before the other noticed. But unfortunately for him, the other did. He cursed his luck.

"Hey Axel." He greeted the red head as he strolled up towards the two, his silver chain jingling with each step he took.

The said person rolled his eyes, "What is it Jess." He asked rhetorically.

He was the last person he'd expect to see. But he couldn't help but wonder, why suddenly after over 4 months of absence, did he started seeing him all over the place again?

Roxas recognized the other boy as the one that was in the sketchbook. He felt a little intimidated by him.

"Nothing-Oh hey! I know this kid." He pointed to the blond beside the red head.

"No you don't. You've only seen him in my sketchbooks which by the way you had no right looking through." Axel retorted.

"Yeah well, you just left it lying around and shit." He waved the comment off, "Anyways, what's up with the both of you hm?" he asked curiously, eyeing them with a hint of predatory.

"Boyfriend." Roxas cut in before Axel had any say in it, not liking the look that the other boy was giving Axel. 'And why does he look like Zexion?'

The red head quirked up an eyebrow at the blond as he smirked, "Heh, what he said." He shrugged as he placed an arm on Roxas' shoulder.

Jesse widened his eyes in absolute shock and stared at the red head, stared at the blond, then back to the red head again, "Boyfriend? But he's a midget!!" he cried out in shock.

Axel snorted, "Yeah, but he's _my_ midget. Got it memorized?"

Despite the blatant insult, Roxas still couldn't help but feel that warm, fuzzy feeling inside him.

"You see this?" the red head pointed at the red earring that he wore, "It's an earring. And you see this?" he pointed to the other earring that Roxas wore, "It's the other half of the earring. You get where I'm going with this?"

"Hey, it's your loss." Jesse raised his hands in mock defeat, "You don't know what you're missing out on."

"I know, I have everything I need and ever want right here." He smiled down at Roxas.

The other boy made a gagging noise, "Man, I never knew you were this sappy. That's so fucking retarded." He scoffed as he rolled his eyes.

"So get lost then." Axel retorted.

"Fine then, I will." the boy rolled his eyes as he walked past them in the opposite direction of where Axel and Roxas were going.

Only after the other boy was way out of ear shot, did Axel let out a chuckle. "So….After a week, you finally admit that I'm your boyfriend huh?" he smirked at the blond.

"Shut up…" he retorted in embarrassment and gave the red head a light shove and walked away without him. Before Roxas even past a shop, he turned back to the red head, "Are you coming or what?"

"Coming Roxy." He grinned as he took his place by the blond and strolled along the footpath. "By the way," he swung an arm across the blonds' shoulder, "That was the perfect one week anniversary present." He grinned.

"Ok great, I don't have to buy anything for you then." He looked almost relieved.

"You were gonna get something for me?" he asked with a hint of hope and curiosity in his voice.

"Yeah, but since you said that was the perfect gift, I doubt I'll find anything better than that." he smirked as he turned to regard the red head.

"I take it back," he smiled sheepishly, "What were you gonna get me?"

"Dunno." He shrugged, "All the good ideas flew out the window when you said that I already gave you the perfect gift." He waved his hand at the comment.

"Come on Roxy, you're keeping me on the edge here." He laughed as he followed the blond into a shop, hopeful that he'll get something from the blond.

At the end of the day, Roxas surprised him with a keychain of sorts.

"It's called a chakram, whatever that is." He offered as he watched the red head ogle at the gift. "Stop looking at it as though it's the best thing you've ever got." He scoffed as he rolled his eyes.

"But it's the best thing I've ever got." He reasoned with a grin.

"No it's not, you're making me feel bad." He looked away in embarrassment.

"If that's the case, why don't you buy me something else then?" he smirked as he took out his car keys and stuck the keychain on.

"In your dreams."

Axel whined, but he only whined for the sake of whining.

On Saturday, after Axel picked up the blond, he insisted that he put on a blindfold.

"What are you planning?" the blond quirked up an eyebrow in suspicion.

"It's a surprise." He spoke in a sing song voice as he spun the blond around and placed the black cloth over Roxas' eyes.

The blond didn't complain although he did grumble a bit.

"This is just an excuse for you to hold my hand isn't it?" the blond spoke as he tried not to trip over on the ground which he couldn't see.

"Oh, maybe half." He smirked as he walked closer to the car and opened the door for the blond to get into.

Roxas sighed as he slowly got in the car and let Axel put the seatbelt on for him.

It took about ten minutes before they reached their destination, but even then, Axel told him to sit in the car while he got everything ready.

"You're not gonna ditch me and then lock me in the car and then commit a homicide by making me plunge into the ocean are you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Why…of course not…" he spoke in a shady voice and smirked as he closed the door.

Roxas let out another sigh and heard the boot of the car being opened and after a minute later, the boot was closed again and the car wobbled up and down slightly.

The blond sat in the car and waited patiently for about five minutes with the blindfold still on. After five more minutes of waiting, he was about to rip the blindfold off when the door opened and startled him.

"Ok, it's ready."

"What's ready?" he asked and felt the red head lean over him for the seatbelt.

"You'll see soon enough." He chuckled as he took Roxas' hand and led him out of the car.

"Axel." He warned as he heard the door being closed behind him and the car being locked.

"Trust me, ok?" he spoke as he carefully led the blond away from the car towards an unknown location. The blond noticed they stepped off the gravelly part onto a grassy area.

Roxas sighed again and then squeezed Axel's hand the further they progressed along, "Yeah, ok."

They stopped within a minute and the red head moved behind the blond to take off the blindfold.

It took a while for Roxas' eyes to adjust to the brightness of the sun, but when he did, he wondered if they got to the right place.

"Surprise." The red head stood in front of him, "Happy twelfth week anniversary." He grinned, proud of himself.

Roxas frowned then turned to the red head, "Don't you normally do these kinds of things on other types of anniversaries? Not friendship anniversaries?"

"Well yeah, but you know," Axel shrugged, "Our other anniversary is on a Thursday. We can't do anything nice after school." He reasoned as he stepped back and took his shoes off before stepping onto the red and white checkered table cloth weighed down on the corners with rocks.

The blond couldn't help but smile at that weird logic. "Ok, then, whatever you say." He followed the red head and took off his shoes as well. "So, did you make all this?" he asked as he sat by the red head who was rummaging around one of the food baskets that he brought along.

"Yup, took me the whole of yesterday after school and this morning too." He grinned as he offered an egg sandwich wrapped in plastic film to the blond.

"Thanks." He smiled as he took the sandwich, "But you didn't have to go so far you know?"

"I want to."

Roxas smiled as he shook his head. "You and your wants. What about what _I_ want?" he asked rhetorically as he unwrapped the plastic cover from the sandwich and took a bite out of it, "Good stuffs by the way."

"Thanks." He grinned as he started eating his tuna sandwich, "What do you wanna do after?"

The blond chewed thoughtfully before he swallowed, "Wanna go ice skating?"

The red head laughed before he finally answered, "I'm up for it."

* * *

"Roxas, Sora. Nice to see that your grades are finally picking up again." Their English teacher Ms. Gainsborough smiled at them as she spoke. "Everything is ok now I assume?"

The blond stared at the brunet and smiled before turning back to the teacher, "More than ok."

"That's great!" she clapped her hands together happily and noticed someone standing by the door, "Oh right, forgotten all about lunch time, run along now." She gently pushed them towards the door. "Good job on your assignment by the way, highest score in the class yet." She smiled as she waved them off.

"See you tomorrow." They waved as they walked by their group of friends who nudged them for answers.

"What did she say?"

"Did you guys get in trouble?"

"Is it detention?"

The red head got in between the brothers and their worried friends, "Oi, oi. Give them a breather ok?" he sighed out before he peered at the blond, "So…are you getting held back a year?" he asked casually.

Some cried out in disbelief, and a few laughed at the red head.

As their friends laughed along with each other, the blond turned to his brother and smiled, "Everything is more than ok, right Sora?"

"Everything is a-ok, Roxas."

Somewhere along the way to the cafeteria, Namine joined them.

"Hello step-brothers." She waved as she walked along side them.

"Oh no! It's the horrible step-sister!" Sora cried out jokingly.

The blonde girl pouted as he put her hands on her waist, "That is so mean Sora. What have I ever done to you?"

"Nothing yet." He grinned, "But we're watching you." He warned as he pointed at her.

"Oh, I'm so scared." She spoke sarcastically as she hugged herself.

"It's so weird how we're gonna be related now huh?" the brunet spoke to his brother.

Roxas shuddered, "I almost went out with my step-sister."

They laughed at him.

They eventually found an empty table to sit at and when they did, they started talking about anything and everything. About school, about the weekends, about assignments and upcoming end of year exams. A few of them cringed at the words.

Everything is normal now. Or as normal as they can be.

"I gotta say Roxy, this has been the best year I've ever had. What do you think?" he asked as he swung an arm over the blonds' shoulder.

The said person took a moment to think back and compare himself from the beginning of the year, till now.

He smiled, "There have been a lot of changes, that's all I can say."

"Change is a good thing." He spoke as he pulled the blond a little closer.

"Only some."

It all started with the acceptance of change and the trading of music.

* * *

I'll revamp the whole story next time when I have a better idea of what's _really_ going on. Because right now? I'm in the shitz with it all. Lols. Yeah, I have colorful language don't I?

Anyways! Thank you everybody! This hurts me just as much as it hurts you!! But I hope to hear from you all again!! I've already started planning out (yes, oh my effing gosh) the next story. Lols! Hope to hear from you all again there!


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